System and method of a media delivery services platform for targeting consumers in real time

ABSTRACT

A media targeting system may be configured to coordinate media and manage media conflicts in its delivery to consumers. The media targeting system may in near real-time arbitrate between all offers assigned to a particular consumer or available to the consumer via one or more channels to ensure that a consumer only receives non-conflicting offers during particular time periods. The media targeting system may translate offers into a real-time, in-store loyalty environment including consumer real-time behavior assignment into traits in order to make a real-time offer assignment based on the traits. An application on a mobile device of a consumer may allow the consumer to share offers with other consumers via a bump of the consumers&#39; mobile devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE

The present application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/691,459, filed Oct. 22, 2003, whichclaims priority to Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/420,642,filed Oct. 23, 2002, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

The present application is also a continuation-in-part application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/209,862, filed Aug. 23, 2005, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The present application is also a continuation-in-part application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/486,707, filed Jul. 14, 2006, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The present application is also a continuation-in-part application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/195,209, filed Aug. 20, 2008, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The present application is also a continuation-in-part application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/181,049, filed Jul. 12, 2011, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to mobile shopping and mobile payment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Given a choice of similar providers, consumers tend to patronize themerchant that provides the consumer more value for the same price, orthe same value at a lower price. To influence a consumer's choice ofprovider, merchants often provide promotions, for example coupons,regarding goods such as groceries, consumer electronics, clothing, andother items that may be purchased in person, over the phone, orelectronically. In this context, a coupon is a promotion used as a toolby merchants to encourage sales, usually by lowering the price in somemanner. For example, a coupon could be used for a discount on theproduct, to give the consumer a larger quantity (for example, 2 for 1)of a product or service, or a discount on a related product or futurepurchase. A coupon could also be used to credit purchases made by oneperson against a certain account. Thus, a school could get credits(money or otherwise) for purchases made by any one of a number of peoplehaving affinity to the school (affinity groups). The possibilities forcoupon usage are essentially unlimited.

Coupons and other promotions are often used by merchants as marketingtools designed and developed to encourage a change in purchase behavior,retain valued consumers and to induce repeat purchases. Traditionalpromotions have been paper based, and usually have a cash or materialpurchase value, such as prepaid gift cards. Rather than be directedtoward a single product, they may be an incentive to buy accessorieswith a particular item, or promotions may even be promotional offers tosell. Overall, promotions serve to attract consumers to a store, to aparticular product or brand in a store, as well as bring attention tonew products and keep track of an individual consumer's buying habits.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to an electronicpromotion system that includes software to produce electronic promotionsin various formats (graphic or non-graphic). In one embodiment,electronic coupons are sent to targeted consumers on consumer's mobileelectronic devices or web portal accounts. The coupons may be voicebased, text based, or graphics based, and can be tailored to a specificconsumer's profile. The coupons received can then be redeemed by theconsumer in various ways depending on the coupon, provider, merchant,and/or point of sale location. The electronic coupons may also beelectronically saved by both the consumer and the merchant to designatedcoupon saving accounts for later use. The coupon account can be locatedon a consumer's mobile electronic device, or it may be located on aremote server.

When a consumer encounters a point of sale (POS) location, theconsumer's electronic coupons can be automatically redeemed by readingthem from the saved location. At the time of redemption, the coupon canbe matched with the purchased items, the expiration date, and otherrelevant information.

In one embodiment, the coupons can be assigned to accounts linked tospecific consumers based on an identification of the consumer's mobiledevice. The coupons may also be linked to the inventory control oraccounting systems of the providing merchants for balancing accounts.Coupons saved by the merchant can be integrated with marketing tools anddata analysis tools to monitor redemption rates or to create new couponsbased on redemption profiles. Merchants may further monitor theindividual redemption of specific consumers.

In an aspect, a media targeting system for managing media targeted to aconsumer across a plurality of promotion channels utilized foradvertisement and promotion of products may include a media coordinationsystem, the media coordination system channeling the media available tothe plurality of channels through a single path, a real-time conflictresolution system that identifies a conflict in delivery of the media tothe consumer in a predefined manner at the moment of delivery, and a setof rules, the set of rules defining the predefined manner to avoidconflict in the delivery of the media. The predefined manner comprisespreventing from being shown to the consumer, across the plurality ofchannels, at least one of multiple instances of an offer, multipleoffers for the same product, multiple offers for products from aparticular category, offers from competing brands, and offers from aretailer if the same product is being promoted through channelscontrolled by a vendor. The media may include one or more of apromotion, an offer, an advertisement, and a discount. The plurality ofchannels may include at least one of a printer at checkout, a textmessage, a voice message, a printed coupon, a touch point, a mobiledevice, a website, an overhead screen, a retail mobile computer, akiosk, a load-to-card offer, a digital coupon, a scan-and-bag facility,and an email. The media coordination system may be a cross-channel mediacoordination system configured to manage media across two or morechannels of the plurality of channels allowing optimization of theplurality of channels. The rules may relate to at least one of aconsumer purchase history, a consumer preference, a consumer age andsex, a consumer behavior, a consumer brand association, a consumerlocation, a consumer interest, a consumer strategy, a touchpoint used bythe consumer, a product scanned during a shopping trip, a past shoppingbehavior, a past product purchased, an in-store location, an itemscanned, a product in an online shopping cart, a coupon or offerredeemed, an offer or coupon in an offer wallet, a loyalty card scanned,an item added to a list, items added to a list via a recipe, and alocation identified by a QR code, and a coupon or offer previouslypresented to the consumer. The media may be assigned to the consumer.

In an aspect, a method for targeting a consumer for delivery of mediaacross a plurality of promotion channels utilized for advertisement andpromotion of products may include channeling the media available to theplurality of channels through a single path, and applying a rule in thereal-time targeting of the consumer through one or more channels of theplurality of channels in order to avoid the media conflict. The rule maybe aimed at preventing from being shown to the consumer, across theplurality of channels, multiple instances of an offer, multiple offersfor the same product, offers from competing brands, multiple offers forproducts from a particular category and offers from a retailer if thesame product is being promoted through channels controlled by a vendor.The media may include one or more of a promotion, an offer, anadvertisement, and a discount. The plurality of channels may include oneor more of a printer at checkout, a text message, a voice message, aprinted coupon, a touch point, a mobile device, a website, an overheadscreen, a retail mobile computer, a load-to-card offer, a kiosk, adigital coupon, a scan-and-bag facility, and an email. The rules mayrelate to at least one of a consumer purchase history, a consumerpreference, a consumer age and sex, a consumer behavior, a consumerbrand association, a consumer location, a consumer interest, a consumerstrategy, a touchpoint used by the consumer, a product scanned during ashopping trip, a past shopping behavior, a past product purchased, anin-store location, an item scanned, a product in an online shoppingcart, a coupon or offer redeemed, an offer or coupon in an offer wallet,a loyalty card scanned, an item added to a list, items added to a listvia a recipe, and a location identified by a QR code, and a coupon oroffer previously presented to the consumer.

In an aspect, a system for providing media in real-time to a consumer ina retail store may include a scan-and-bag facility configured to scan orimage an identifier of a product in a retail store, the scan-and-bagfacility including a sensor that identifies its location, a processor ofthe scan-and-bag facility that analyzes at least one of a productidentifier scanned or imaged and a location of the scan-and-bag facilityto determine a current shopping behavior, a rules database that assignsat least one real time consumer trait to the user based on at least oneof the current shopping behavior, a past shopping behavior, and anactivity external to the retail store, and a trait inclusion facilitycommunicatively coupled with the scan-and-bag facility, the traitinclusion facility configured to target the media in real-time throughthe scan-and-bag facility to the consumer based on the at least one realtime consumer trait. At least one real time consumer trait is updatedaccording to a plurality of trips of the consumer to the retail store.At least one real time consumer trait expires on a pre-set date. Atleast one real time consumer trait based on the activity external to theretail store is updated periodically. The rules database nay includereal time trait definitions capable of relating a product to a type ofpromotion. The system may further include a transmitting facilitycommunicatively coupled to the scan-and-bag facility and capable ofsending a total cost of the scanned or imaged product identifier to apoint of sale (POS) facility in the retail store. The transmittingfacility is activated automatically on scanning or imaging the productidentifier. The transmitting facility is activated by the consumer by atleast one of pressing a key, scanning a barcode, a verbal command, andpowering down the scan-and-bag facility. The current or past shoppingbehavior is contextually derived.

In an aspect, a system for providing media in real-time to a consumer ina retail store may include a promotion channel configured to delivermedia to a consumer, a processor that analyzes at least one of aproduct-related event and a current location of the user to determine acurrent shopping behavior, a rules database that assigns at least onereal time consumer trait to the user based on at least one of thecurrent shopping behavior, a past shopping behavior, the location of theconsumer, and an activity external to the retail store, and a traitinclusion facility communicatively coupled with the promotion channel,the trait inclusion facility configured to target the media in real-timeto the consumer through the promotion channel based on the at least onereal time consumer trait. At least one real time consumer trait isupdated according to a plurality of trips of the consumer to the retailstore. At least one real time consumer trait expires on a pre-set date.The at least one real time consumer trait based on the activity externalto the retail store is updated periodically. The rules database mayinclude real time trait definitions capable of relating a product to atype of promotion. The promotion channel may be configured to scan orimage an identifier of a product in a retail store. The system mayfurther include a transmitting facility communicatively coupled to thepromotion channel and capable of sending a total cost of a scanned orimaged product identifier to a point of sale (POS) facility in theretail store. The transmitting facility may be activated automaticallyon scanning or imaging the product identifier. The transmitting facilitymay be activated by the consumer by at least one of pressing a key,scanning a barcode, a verbal command, and powering down the scan-and-bagfacility. The promotion channel may include a sensor that identifies itslocation. The current or past shopping behavior may be contextuallyderived. The promotion channel may include at least one of a printer atcheckout, a text message, a voice message, a printed coupon, a touchpoint, a mobile device, a website, an overhead screen, a retail mobilecomputer, a kiosk, a load-to-card offer, a digital coupon, ascan-and-bag facility, and an email.

In an aspect, a system for providing an offer in real-time to a consumerin a retail store, the system may include a scan-and-bag facilityconfigured to scan or image a product identifier in the retail store, arules database that instantaneously assigns at least one real timeconsumer trait to the user based on the scanned or imaged productidentifier, and a trait inclusion facility communicatively coupled withthe scanning facility, the trait inclusion facility configured toprovide the offer in real-time to the consumer based on the at least onereal time consumer trait. The rules database may include real time traitdefinitions capable of relating a product to a type of promotion. Thesystem may further include a transmitting facility communicativelycoupled to the scan-and-bag facility and capable of sending a total costof the scanned or imaged product identifier to a point of sale (POS)facility in the retail store. The transmitting facility may be activatedautomatically on scanning or imaging the product identifier. Thetransmitting facility may be activated by the consumer by at least oneof pressing a key, scanning a barcode, scanning a loyalty card, a verbalcommand, and powering down the scan-and-bag facility.

In an aspect, a method of making a mobile-initiated payment for aproduct from a retail establishment may include receiving a scan orimage of a product identifier from a consumer's mobile device, accessinga price for the product based on the product identifier, transmittingthe price to the mobile device, receiving an indication from the mobiledevice to purchase the product, verifying that the consumer hasregistered to make mobile-initiated payments, wherein registeringincludes associating a form of tender with the mobile device and anauthorization code, instructing the consumer to enter the authorizationcode on at least one of the mobile device and a POS payment device,wherein upon entering the authorization code, payment is tendered fromthe form of tender registered by the consumer, and transmitting to themobile device a purchase confirmation indicating that the product hasbeen purchased from by the consumer.

In an aspect, a method of sharing an offer with a social network mayinclude presenting a shareable offer to a consumer in an applicationassociated with a media targeting system, wherein the media is targetedto the consumer by the media targeting system, allowing the consumer topost the shareable offer to a consumer's social network wall registeredwith the media targeting system, wherein the shareable offer is postedas a link uniquely identifying the offer, who shared it, and at whatretailer it is available, allowing a user of the social network to storethe offer when the user selects the link for the sharable offer andassociates a loyalty card with the shareable offer, and redeeming theshareable offer when the user uses the loyalty card at a retailertouchpoint.

In an aspect, a system for providing an offer in real-time to a consumerin a retail store, the system may include a scan-and-bag facilityconfigured to scan and image a product identifier in the retail store,the scan-and-bag facility including a sensor that identifies itslocation, a processor that analyzes at least one of the productidentifier scanned or imaged and determines a current shopping behavior,a location-tracking facility that matches signal strength informationemitted by an access point and transmitted by the sensor to a zonewithin the retail store to determine a real time location of theconsumer in the retail store, a rules database that assigns at least onereal time consumer trait to the user based on at least one of thecurrent shopping behavior, a past shopping behavior, the real timelocation in the retail store, and an activity external to the retailstore, and a trait inclusion facility communicatively coupled with thescan-and-bag facility, the trait inclusion facility configured toprovide the offer in real-time to the consumer based on the at least onereal time consumer trait. The at least one real time consumer trait maybe updated according to a plurality of trips of the consumer to theretail store. The at least one real time consumer trait expires on apre-set date. The at least one real time consumer trait based on theactivity external to the retail store is updated periodically. The rulesdatabase comprises real time trait definitions capable of relating aproduct to a type of promotion. The system may further include atransmitting facility communicatively coupled to the scan-and-bagfacility and capable of sending a total cost of the purchased productsto a point of sale (POS) facility in the retail store. The transmittingfacility may be activated automatically on scanning or imaging theproduct identifier. The transmitting facility may be activated by atleast one of pressing a key, scanning a barcode, a verbal command, andpowering down the scan-and-bag facility.

In an aspect, a system for providing a promotional offer in real-time toa consumer in a retail store may include a scan-and-bag facilityconfigured to scan or image a product identifer purchased by theconsumer in the retail store, the scan-and-bag facility including asensor that identifies its location, a processor that analyzes theproduct identifier scanned or imaged and determines a current shoppingbehavior, a rules database that assigns at least one real time consumertrait to the user based on at least one of the current shoppingbehavior, a past shopping behavior, and an activity external to theretail store, a trait inclusion facility communicatively coupled withthe scan-and-bag facility, the trait inclusion facility configured togenerate a promotional offer in real-time for the consumer based on theat least one real time consumer trait and apply the promotional offer toa purchase made using the scan-and-bag facility.

In an aspect, a method for targeting a consumer for delivery of mediaacross a plurality of promotion channels utilized for advertisement andpromotion of products may include logging a consumer into a retailsystem when a retail host device becomes aware of the presence of theconsumer's mobile device within a physical boundary of the retail storecontrolled by the host device, allowing the consumer to conduct aplurality of transactional interactions pertaining to the host deviceusing the mobile device while the user is within the physical boundary,and ensuring avoidance of a media conflict in delivery of promotionalmedia to the mobile device by applying rules in the targeting of theconsumer, wherein the rules are aimed at preventing from being shown tothe consumer, across the plurality of channels, multiple instances of anoffer, multiple offers for the same product, offers from competingbrands, multiple offers for products from a particular category andoffers from a retailer if the same product is being promoted throughchannels controlled by a vendor. The media may include one or more of apromotion, an offer, an advertisement, and a discount. The method mayfurther include applying at least one of the promotion, offer, ordiscount to a purchase made using the mobile device.

In an aspect, a method may include channeling promotional mediaavailable to a plurality of promotion channels through a single path,applying a rule in the targeting of a consumer through one or morechannels of the plurality of promotion channels in order to avoid aconflict in the delivery of the promotional media, wherein the rule isaimed at preventing from being shown to the consumer, across theplurality of channels, multiple instances of an offer, multiple offersfor the same product, offers from competing brands, multiple offers forproducts from a particular category and offers from a retailer if thesame product is being promoted through channels controlled by a vendor,targeting the consumer with a shareable offer, allowing the consumer topost the shareable offer to a consumer's social network wall, whereinthe shareable offer is posted as a link uniquely identifying the offer,who shared it, and at what retailer it is available, allowing a user ofthe social network to store the offer when the user selects the link forthe sharable offer and associates at least one of a loyalty card and anidentifier of a mobile phone with the shareable offer, and redeeming theshareable offer when the user uses the loyalty card or the mobile phoneat a retailer touchpoint.

In an aspect, a method may include presenting a shareable offer on afirst mobile device of a first consumer in an application associatedwith a media targeting system, wherein the shareable offer is targetedto the first consumer by the media targeting system, allowing the firstconsumer to transfer the shareable offer to a second mobile device of asecond consumer, wherein the first mobile device and the second mobiledevice are bumped to transfer the shareable offer, allowing the secondconsumer to store the shareable offer received after bumping andassociate a loyalty card with the stored offer, and redeeming theshareable offer when the second consumer uses the loyalty card at aretailer touchpoint. The shareable offer may be transferred outside aretail store. The shareable offer may be transferred inside a retailstore. The first consumer may be targeted based on a loyalty card of thefirst consumer. The first consumer may be targeted based on a behavioraltrait of the first consumer. The method may further include allowing thesecond consumer to store the offer in a digital offer wallet.

In an aspect, a method includes channeling promotional media availableto a plurality of promotion channels through a single processing path,applying a rule in targeting a first consumer through one or morechannels of the plurality of promotion channels in order to avoid aconflict in the delivery of the promotional media wherein the rule isaimed at preventing from being shown to the first consumer, across theplurality of channels, offers that conflict with each other, targeting afirst mobile device of the first consumer with a shareable offer, andallowing the first consumer to transfer the shareable offer to a secondmobile device of a second consumer, wherein the first mobile device andthe second mobile device are bumped to transfer the shareable offer. Theconflict may involve at least one of multiple instances of an offer,multiple offers for the same product, offers from competing brands,multiple offers for products from a particular category and offers froma retailer if the same product is being promoted through channelscontrolled by a vendor. The method may further include allowing thesecond consumer to store the shareable offer received after bumping andassociate a loyalty card with the shareable offer and redeeming theshareable offer when the second consumer uses the loyalty card at aretailer touchpoint.

These and other systems, methods, objects, features, and advantages ofthe present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and thedrawings.

All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated in their entiretyby reference. References to items in the singular should be understoodto include items in the plural, and vice versa, unless explicitly statedotherwise or clear from the text. Grammatical conjunctions are intendedto express any and all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations ofconjoined clauses, sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwisestated or clear from the context.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference isnow made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an electronic promotion system;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a text based electronic promotionsystem;

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of an electronic voice based electronicpromotion system;

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of an electronic promotion distributionand redemption system;

FIG. 5 depicts a plurality of promotion channels, in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a media targeting system configured to coordinatemedia and manage media conflicts, in accordance with various embodimentsof the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a zone tracking system according to embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of zone tracking according to embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates another method of zone tracking according toembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a scan-and-bag facility for a retail environment;

FIG. 10A illustrates a Mobile Initiated Payment (MIP) system, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates another method of zone tracking according toembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 12 illustrates methods for distributing offers based on zonetracking according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of a method for providing Mediarequest trait inclusion functionality;

FIG. 14 depicts integration of past purchase behavior of a consumer withthe real time purchase attributes.;

FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment of the invention used with respect toa facility;

FIG. 16 illustrates an embodiment of a process illustrating log-in,transaction, and log-out;

FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate embodiments of the invention used indifferent environments;

FIG. 19 illustrates an embodiment of a process illustrating numberregistration;

FIG. 20 illustrates an embodiment of a process illustrating user messagecontrol;

FIG. 21 illustrates an overview of an embodiment of a payment/loyaltyprogram architecture;

FIG. 22 illustrates a point of sale (POS) terminal for use in anembodiment;

FIGS. 23A, 23B, and 23C illustrate flow charts showing use of the systemin an embodiment; and

FIGS. 24A, 24B, and 24C illustrate flow charts showing use of the systemin another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of system 10 for providing electronicpromotions. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited toanyone type of promotion, and thus may use coupons, discounts, alerts,offers to sell goods or services, or other similar promotion. Theembodiment of FIG. 1 has been illustrated and described as distributingcoupons, but may be readily adapted for any promotion. Electronic device11 can be any electronic device commonly used by a consumer, includingbut not limited to, land based or cellular telephones, computers,personal digital assistants (PDA's), pocket organizers, or other similardevices capable of receiving and/or sending data through an appropriatecommercial or private transmission network 103, whether wireless,wireline, or a combination thereof

Using the example of a cellular telephone, the depicted embodiment canuse a dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) system that allows consumers toaccess the couponing system via the touchtone keys on their mobilephone. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to DTMFtype systems, but rather may be easily adapted to a wireless applicationprotocol (WAP) client, Bluetooth technology, RFID, or any othertechnology for enabling the transaction. When a consumer uses device 11to conduct a payment transaction over a mobile phone (or other mobileelectronic device), system 10 uses telephony application programinterface (TAPI) 12, which detects the DTMF touchtones. Rather thantouchtones, device 11 may alternatively receive and/or generate textmessages formatted in a pre-defined language. For example, text message“coupon now clothes from XYZ” could mean that the consumer using theelectronic device is requesting a coupon for clothes from XYZ for use ata merchant, today.

System 10 may also incorporate one or more types of security levels toidentify a consumer, including but not limited to, equipment ID, callerID and/or a unique consumer pin number. Wireless standards in the UnitedStates associate one telephone number with one mobile phone, therebyallowing system 100 to identify the end consumer via the uniquetelephone number. Other secure identification methods, such asbiometrics, voice recognition, or other client based secure methods mayalso be used.

In FIG. 1, platform 101 includes device interface 12, consumer profiledatabase 13, merchant profile database 15, consumer engine 14, andmerchant engine 16. Platform 101, in the embodiment shown, may use XMLor similar technology, along with one of the many API's (ApplicationProgram Interfaces) currently available in the market, that will allowplatform 101 to communicate to any device. Platform 101 may also providea web interface, for example, network 104, where end users and merchantscan access and manage their respective account.

Device interface 12 is the gateway for receiving voice or text messagesfrom device 11 and directs the messages to consumer engine 14, which canfurther access the consumer's profile from consumer profile database 13.Device interface 12 also converts incoming voice messages into a textbased message to be forwarded to consumer profile engine 16. The textbased messages may be in any appropriate language format such as XML,C++, Java, or the like.

Consumer profile engine 14 interprets all incoming messages and directsthem to merchant profile database 15, coupon server 17, or paymentserver 18. Consumer profile database 13 stores all consumer relatedinformation including, but not limited to, transactions, loyalty programinformation, coupons, as well as pre and post redemption information foreach consumer.

A voice or a text message may be received from any device, in anyformat, such as the text message “coupon now clothes from XYZ” sent fromdevice 11. If the request is for a coupon, then a request for a couponis tagged with consumer information from consumer profile database 13and sent by consumer profile engine 14 to coupon server 17. If themessage is for the redemption of a coupon, then the coupon is taggedwith information about the requester and saved into consumer profiledatabase 13 for any current or future use by the consumer, and, ifdesired, by the merchant.

Merchant profile engine 16 provides access to merchant profile database15 containing information about each merchant and its respectivetransactions. Merchant profile database 15 contains information abouteach merchant's loyalty programs, coupon programs, and rewards. Merchantprofile database 15 stores the information about a merchant, includingits profiles, transactions, marketing information and loyalty programrules. When a new promotion is sent to a consumer, data pertainingthereto is registered with the database. Merchant profile database 15 isthen accessed through merchant profile engine 14 by coupon server 17 asneeded to receive, send, or process coupons. Merchant profile engine 16can query merchant profile database 15 to determine the loyalty rules,and other established parameters for each merchant.

Coupon server 17, as an example promotion distributing processor, holdsthe logic to process coupons, receive coupons, or send coupons. Couponserver 17, upon receipt of a coupon request either to send, redeem, orsimply search for information pertaining to a coupon, processes therequest based on logic defined in coupon server 17, and acts as agateway for coupon logic. The request for a new coupon may containinformation regarding the requester, the merchant, date, or otherspecifics. This request is processed under the direction of couponserver 17, and in cooperation with engines 14 and 16 to generate acoupon based on the request. To generate the coupon, coupon server 17may query merchant profile engine 16 to retrieve specific merchant basedcoupon information from merchant profile database 15. Coupon server 17may also query consumer profile engine 14 to retrieve consumer basedcoupon information from consumer profile database 13. Other databasesmay also be queried as necessary. The generated coupon is then sent backto consumer profile engine 14 to be forwarded to interface 12 fordelivery to device 11. Depending on the type of request, the coupon maybe sent in a voice format, SMS format, or MMS format, or a combinationthereof.

If the request is to redeem a coupon, then the coupon characteristicsare matched with payment information to apply the appropriate logic forredemption. The redemption logic is based on the merchant's profile,coupon information, and consumer profile obtained, as discussed above. Aredemption may be a free purchase, a reduction in price, an auxiliarypurchase, or any other promotion as defined for the redeemed coupon. Ifthe request was a redemption, then the post redemption message is sentback to device 11 and to merchant profile database 15, and, if desired,to consumer database 13.

Transactions processed by system 10 also be further processed by one ormore of the checking (ACH)/ATM/Debit/Credit card or other transactionnetworks and this is accomplished through server 18. Depending on thetype of transaction, the payment data is routed to the appropriateprocessing entities, and may require system 10 to request payment basedinformation from the consumer.

After a promotion has been redeemed and all the loyalty program ruleshave been applied, the total dollar amount is sent to payment server 18for processing. An ACH is a secure electronic fund transfer system thatconnects financial institutions. The ACH network acts as the centralclearing facility for Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) transactions thatoccur nationwide. ATM debit and credit card transactions are sent to theappropriate banks for approval and clearing. These will be done throughdifferent ATM debit or credit networks, such as Cirrus, NYCE, Maestro,Visanet, etc.

When device 11 is mobile, the user can process promotions at a POSterminal by calling up the desired promotion via the mobile device. Ifdesired, this can be accomplished concurrently with payment control, asdiscussed in the above-identified patent application. System 10 mayprompt the user to enter specific information regarding a POS (such asPOS location ID) and/or specific information regarding the purchase. Asfurther described in the above identified application, system 10 canoffer consolidation, convenience, and management of multiple consumerreward programs in one place, such as a website, and further enables theuse of promotional information at a physical or virtual location usingany electronic device. The consumer's device may be wired or wirelessand may operate through dial up or via GPRS, WIFI and/or other networks.Using a system like system 10, a consumer could register a new orexisting payment and loyalty cards/accounts, such as checking or savingsaccounts, debit, credit or loyalty cards with a web portal at any POS orby calling a designated telephone number. Once the user connects withthe portal, the user selects which card (or cards) he/she desires, whichloyalty programs he/she is eligible for, and/or which stored value cardsthe user desires to link to his/her mobile payment account. Differentcards and programs may be used in different stores, if desired.

Assuming a merchant (enterprise) has enabled system 10 to handlepayments (or identification) any of that merchant's POS locations 19 canbe used by a prospective recipient of goods/services. In one embodiment,the merchant can go on line and sign up and also each recipient, orprospective recipient, can go on-line (or otherwise sign up). In doingso, the recipient user goes to the web portal, signs up for paymentmethods and loyalty cards, and registers his/her existing payments andloyalty cards. The user can sign up for new cards at this or anytime, ifso desired. All of the consumer's and merchant's specific data will bestored in a secure form on the respective database 13, 15. When a useruses the system, if that user is enrolled in a loyalty program, thensystem 10 can automatically arrange for the appropriate discounts beforecharging the consumer.

System 10 offers a set of tools that help merchants send out promotions,such as alerts, coupons, offer to sell, or any other similar promotionto their consumers thereby increasing the consumer-merchant intimacy.Communicating through the consumer's electronic devices, eliminates theneed to use paper, lowers costs, and is time effective. When a consumersigns up for the payments and loyalty program via an embodiment of thepresent invention, that consumer may, through any enabled point of sale(virtual or physical), receive payments and loyalty programs. Amerchant, such as XYZ is able to target a consumer directly on theconsumer's electronic device based on that consumer's registeredprofile. A registered merchant may, if desired, be given access toconsumer profile database 13. If, for example, XYZ chooses to send a 5%off coupon to all consumers who are open to receiving marketing materialfrom XYZ, system 10 triggers an XYZ coupon to those consumers, viaconsumer profile engine 14 which searches consumer profile database 13to find the appropriate consumers. The coupons may be triggered based onsex, age, prior purchase, economic profile, or any other aspects of aconsumer profile.

The consumer receives the promotion on his/her electronic device viaSMS, voice, or other appropriate format. Every promotion, for example,“5% off your next visit to XYZ by the end of the next month,” may becharacterized by, among other things, the message, start date,expiration date, sender, unique identification code (merchant ornon-merchant specific), and offer. Once the promotion is received(either as a text message or a voice mail), it may be redeemed invarious ways.

For SMS/Text messages, a promotion received on an electronic device canbe redeemed by a consumer replying to the message or by the consumerforwarding the text message to coupon server 17. Upon reply, thepromotion, say a coupon, is sent to coupon server 17 which recognizesthe sender, the coupon code, and the merchant and registers it forredemption. Post redemption, the coupon may be stored on device 11itself, and/or in a database, such as consumer profile database 13, foruse at the time of making the actual transaction.

In one example, if merchant XYZ is running a promotional offer fortickets to a play, a message offering tickets is transmitted to theconsumer's device. The consumer, by responding could select a date andbook the tickets from device 11, if desired. When device 11 is wireless,the consumer could complete the transaction from anywhere in the world,provided he/she wirelessly connected to the system 10. Also, from timeto time, a consumer could log on, for example, via network 102, toobtain promotion messages and, if desired, respond thereto. Suchpromotional offers are not limited to tickets, but may be for any goodor service a merchant has available. The promotion may also take theform of an offer for sale of a good or service that is immediatelypurchasable by the consumer. The consumer may receive on his/herelectronic device via, SMS, voice or other appropriate format an offerfor 50% off the purchase of tickets to an upcoming show. The tickets maythen be immediately purchasable by the consumer by replying to thepromotion.

Embodiments such as system 10 may be used to distribute any promotion totargeted consumers, as well as generate and distribute promotions whenconsumers, who are not specifically targeted, request them. Rather thanselecting specific consumers, a merchant may choose to advertise (usinga bill board, radio, television, newspaper, or any other suitablemethod), prompting a requesting consumer to then contact system 10 forthe promotional offer. The requesting consumer may be prompted to dial aphone number, send a test message, send an email, or use any othersuitable contact method to request a coupon from system 10.

FIG. 2 illustrates one method of electronic coupon redemption via textmessaging according to an embodiment of the present invention. Althoughthe depicted embodiment is illustrated and described using coupons, themethod of FIG. 2 is readily adapted to any promotion type. In step 201,the consumer requests a weekly coupon for an XYZ store. In step 202, theconsumer receives a text message on his/her electronic device fromcoupon server 17 indicating that the consumer has been sent a couponbased on merchant promotions, consumer request, and/or consumer profile.In step 203, the consumer replies to the coupon server using theelectronic device keypad. In step 204, the coupon server receives a textbased coupon (for example, using SMS) via system 10, and saves thecoupon to the consumer's account for redemption at the next purchase inan XYZ store.

In step 205, the consumer shops at an XYZ store after receiving thecoupon and decide to pay using an electronic device. In step 206, theconsumer enters the specific phone number of the POS in order toinitiate payment.

In step 207, the consumer hears a message, such as, for example, “Youhave a purchase of $100.00 in your consumer account. With coupondiscount, this purchase will be is $95.00. Please accept thetransaction.” This acceptance can be verbal, or text based ornumerically controlled using, if desired, a PIN number. In step 208, theconsumer enters his/her acceptance (PIN or otherwise). In step 209, thetransaction is verified, the coupon redeemed, and a message (text,voice, or numerical) is sent to the consumer. This message could be SMScontrolled.

A voice based promotion system may ask the consumer to dial an 800number to redeem a coupon that, when accepted, is saved to theconsumer's account and used at the time of payment. FIG. 3 illustrates amethod of electronic coupon redemption via voice messaging according toan embodiment of present invention. Although the depicted embodiment isillustrated and described using coupons, the method of FIG. 3 is readilyadapted to any promotion type. In step 301, the consumer requests aweekly coupon for an XYZ store. In step 302, the consumer receives avoice mail on his/her electronic device from the coupon serverindicating that the consumer has been sent a coupon based on merchantpromotions, consumer request and/or consumer profile.

In step 303, the consumer hears a voice mail saying, for example, “Youhave a coupon of 5% off your next purchase. Please call-1-800-xxx-xxxxto redeem your coupon.” Upon dialing the number the consumer hears, “Youhave a coupon waiting for your next purchase at an XYZ store. Pleasepush 1 to redeem the coupon, push 2 to delete the coupon, or push 3 toforward the coupon to a friend.” In step 304, the consumer chooses 1 toredeem the coupon. In other embodiments, each promotion may have anidentifying number that a consumer may enter to identify the promotion.The coupon is sent back to the coupon server via the gateway after beingconverted into text or any acceptable formats for the coupon gateway.

In step 305, the coupon server receives the voice-based coupon via thegateway and saves it to the consumer account for redemption at the nextpurchase in an XYZ store. In step 306, the consumer shops at an XYZstore after receiving the coupon and decides to pay using his/herelectronic device.

In step 307, the consumer dials a unique telephone number assigned tothe POS, or dials a server number and identifies the POS. The consumer,for example, hears “You have a purchase of $100.00 in your consumeraccount. With coupon discount, it is $95.00. Please accept.” This can bedone by entering a PIN or other acceptance method. In step 308, theconsumer enters his/her acceptance, by using a PIN, or otherwise. Instep 309, the transaction is verified, the coupon redeemed and a messageis sent to the caller informing the caller of the transaction.

FIG. 4 illustrates a promotion distribution and redemption process inaccordance with one embodiment. In process 401, the system generates acoupon in voice, text, or graphical format. This coupon is distributed,under control of process 402, to the consumer. This distribution can bevia the web, or directly via a telephone network, or via the Internet. Aconsumer receives an electronic coupon on the consumer's electronicdevice 403, or on the consumer's web account 404. The coupon can beoptionally saved on the device or in the consumer database at platform101. The consumer may then redeem these coupons at a point of sale underprocess 405 when the consumer chooses to pay, process 406, through anappropriate system at process 407. The consumer databases are optimallyupdated.

FIG. 5 depicts a plurality of promotion channels 500 such as promotionchannels 502, 504, 508, 510, 512, 514, 518, 520, 522, 524, 528, 530,532, and the like, in accordance with various embodiments of the presentinvention. The plurality of promotion channels 500 may hereafter bereferred to as promotion channels 500 or channels 500 merely forsimplicity of the description. The numerous promotion channels 500 maybe utilized for advertisement and promotion of products usingtechnologies such as in-store signage, queue number ticket printers,email, direct mail, coupon printers at checkout, text messages, voicemessages, and the like. In accordance with various embodiments, theadvertisements, promotions, and offers may be provided by a companymanufacturing a product, or by a retailer. The methods of promotions mayinclude discount coupons by the retailer or manufacturer or by a thirdparty involved in promoting a brand of the product. A product may bepromoted in the market by utilizing digital means such as advertisementson websites, emails and short messages, and the like through the variouspromotion channels 500.

A media delivery services platform 620 may comprise the system,processes and technology to (a) target, (b) arbitrate, and (c) analyzepromotions delivered across multiple touchpoints, such as web, email,kiosk, in-store coupons, a scan-and-bag facility 1000, optionally amobile shopping and payment application, and the like. Thus, the mediadelivery services platform 620 connects (a) retailers, (b) their loyaltypartners, (c) brands, (d) agencies, and (e) aggregators to consumers ina multi-channel digital world to integrate personalized promotions,mobile self-scan, and instant checkout on consumers' mobile devices. Theplatform 620 enables an end-to-end solution optionally including, butnot limited to, coupon sourcing, setup, consumer coordination,scan-and-bag, electronic clearing, reporting and analysis, shoppinglists generation and implementation, and more. The platform 620 may takeadvantage of cloud computing to deploy various servers. Using theplatform 620, retailers may engage consumers with promotions while theyare shopping, thus responding to their activities which may or may notbe tied with previously exhibited activities and customer purchasehistory or demographic data. Retailers may manage all touchpoints acrossthe retail chain. Retailers may eliminate offer conflicts in and acrosstrips and/or touchpoints over the course of a sales week. Retailers maybe provided Load-to-Card capability. Using the platform 620, brands cantarget lift, not impressions and/or redemptions. Brands may be able toquantify ROI of delivered promotions, translate FSI coupons to digitalin-store, cap issuances and redemptions at budget, and the like. Usingthe platform 620, consumers may be provided with a small, focused set ofoffers delivered based upon historical purchasing and behaviorsexhibited during a shopping trip. Consumers may provided with an offerwallet 628 which follows consumer with qualifying coupons, so there isno forgetting. The offer wallet stores a consistent set of offers todeliver to the customer across all the supported digital touchpoints.Using the platform 620, advertising agencies and aggregators may be ableto quantify performance due to the closed loop of offers and redemptiontracking integrated with retailer purchase history data. Agencies andaggregators may take advantage of behavioral targeted coupons thatdeliver impressions at the point of decision. The platform 620 enablesagencies and aggregators to aggregate issuances and redemptions acrossretailers and banners.

The media delivery service platform 620 delivers multiple, distinctpromotions management and execution capabilities, such as OfferWallet/e-wallet 628, Category Conflict Resolution 602, Measurement &Reporting 630, Analysis & Optimization 632, Billing & Clearing 622,Coordination with Promotions Calendar 604, Capping using a counter 624,Offer Aggregation, etc., which orchestrated together deliver anend-to-end, multi-touchpoint media solution.

The media delivery services platform 620 may provide a media managementconsole 638 enforcing an end-to-end publishing process from a promoter,to a retailer, to a consumer, and back to the promoter. The mediamanagement console 638 controls all media data. The platform may enableiterative feedback and analysis for running programs back to brands,retailers, and agencies focused on meeting lift, issuance, andredemption targets. The platform 620 may enable a quick human responseto execution issues such as missing UPCs for a product, sales supportdefining unique programs to meet promotional objectives, creativeoversight ensuring clear consumer communication of offers, and the like.

The media delivery services platform 620 may be able to employ astandardized process to accept media from a wide array of sourcesincluding: directly from brands, agencies, aggregators, retailers,retailer CRM partners, and the like.

The media delivery services platform 620 may be able to employ a processfor promoter onboarding package including feed formats, communicationguide, and insertion order process tracking The media delivery servicesplatform 620 may be able to employ a process for creative managementincluding distribution to multiple touchpoints.

FIG. 6 illustrates a media targeting system 600 configured to coordinatemedia and manage media conflicts, in accordance with various embodimentsof the present invention. The media targeting system 600 may in nearreal-time arbitrate between all offers assigned to a particular user oravailable to the user via one or more channels to ensure that a consumeronly receives non-conflicting offers during particular time periods. Themedia targeting system 600 may translate offers into a real-time,in-store loyalty environment including consumer real-time behaviorassignment into traits. In an embodiment, the media coordination system604 may then make a real-time offer assignment based on the traits.

The media targeting system 600 may also be referred to as a mediatraffic cop 600 interchangeably without limiting the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. The media targeting system 600 may include aconflict management system 602 and a media coordination system 604. Aset of rules 608 may be maintained in the media targeting system 600that may be processed and implemented by the media targeting system 600for managing, coordinating media, and avoiding conflicts with media suchas advertisements, offers, promotions, and the like stored in an adserver database 610 that includes promotional messages and offers, in athird party system 614, at a point of sale 612, in a merchandising plan618, and the like. The rules 608 may be formed and implemented based onconsumer purchase history, consumer preferences, consumer age and sex,consumer behavior, consumer brand association, consumer location,consumer interests, consumer strategies, a touchpoint used by theconsumer, a product scanned during a shopping trip, a past shoppingbehavior, a past product purchased, an in-store location, an itemscanned, a product in an online shopping cart, a coupon or offerredeemed, an offer or coupon in an offer wallet, a loyalty card scanned,an item added to a list, items added to a list via a recipe, and alocation identified by a QR code, and a coupon or offer previouslypresented to the consumer, and the like. The conflict management system602 may prevent more than a set number of coupons in the samemicrocategory from being shown to a consumer in a given sale week. In anembodiment, the conflict management system 602 may determine theconflict at the time of issuance, not beforehand.

The media coordination system 604 may coordinate and manage media acrossa single channel referred to as in-channel coordination, or acrossmultiple channels referred to as cross-channel coordination. The mainaim of cross-channel media coordination may be to manage the variouschannels for promotions and discounts and therefore, and bring order toambiguous situations created by these channels. Cross-channel mediacoordination may help in managing messages delivered to an individualvia different channels and thus, stop conflicting messages from reachingthe consumers. The channel to be utilized for an individual may also beascertained by the media coordination system 604, which may help intargeting the consumers in a better manner. For example, a consumer nothaving regular access to the Internet may be targeted using alternatechannels, such as SMS, MMS, through a scan-and-bag facility 1000 orother means that may be readily accessible to the consumer. This mayincrease the probability of the consumer to receive offers andpromotions of interest through preferred channels. Further, anyduplicate offers being made to an individual may be avoided throughproper coordination by providing input to the media coordination system604 to ensure that there are no conflicting promotions being deliveredon channels that are not controlled by a particularmanufacturer/retailer. For example, if a user gets a message through awireless device that targets them with an offer for bread of brand A,then the same user during the same trip to the same retailer should notbe targeted with a Load to Card offer for bread of brand B. Similarly,various other scenarios may be possible to manage offers and promotionsdelivered to a consumer.

In accordance with these scenarios, consumers may receive the bestoffers on their preferred channels. Therefore, a high-value offer maynot be wasted by delivering it through a channel that the consumer maynot engage with frequently. Additionally, an effective management ofoffers and promotions may be responsible for avoiding category channelconflicts across multiple channels 500. For example, a consumer who getsa “load-to-card” Pepsi offer through email will not get Coke offers on awireless device.

The media coordination system 604 may also coordinate media deliverywith a promotions calendar. For example, campaigns may be paced acrosstheir duration using the media coordination system 604. The mediacoordination system 604 may provide a single on/off switch for campaignsto avoid collision with chain-wide programs.

The media coordination system 604 may provide campaign management systempacking, capping, and serving offer content.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the mediatargeting system 600 may cause to avoid double dipping on products ofthe same brand through multiple channels. For example, promotions of twodifferent offers on a single brand of a product (that is, on the sameUPC's) may be avoided through implementation of the media targetingsystem 600 in managing promotions on the basis of at least one of a UPCcode, a brand name, a product name, a retailer-specific POS code namefor a product, a promotion identifier, a user, a promotion time periodand/or expiry, and the like.

In accordance with an embodiment, multiple parties/vendors/retailers mayprovide different offers on a particular product, which may lead to aconflict between the involved parties. Therefore, the variouspromotional offers may be required to be prioritized. For example, aretailer and a vendor of a chocolate bar may provide multiple offers; insuch cases, the vendor's offer may be prioritized over the retailer'soffer.

The media targeting system 600 may manage and/or prioritize promotionsacross various channels 500 to make use of the vast consumer data thatmay be available in the form of consumer history, loyalty card number,and the like. This data may be utilized for developing a bettertargeting strategy of consumers by the media targeting system 600, whichin turn may lead to a higher return on investment for various interestedparties.

Moreover, the media targeting system 600 may keep track of differentpromotions being delivered through different channels that drive salesof a product. The retailers may get a deeper insight into the channels500 to recognize the most effective channels 500 for different types ofpromotions and for specific kinds of products through the mediatargeting system 600. Based on the tracked details through the mediatargeting system 600, managers may analyze performance of variouschannels 500 and therefore, may develop better promotion strategies forthe products.

In an embodiment, the media coordination system 604 implemented as across-channel media coordination system may allow optimization ofvarious channels 500 for efficient targeting of consumers. For example,it may allow targeting of a consumer through a different channel such asthrough in-store printed coupons in case the consumer does not respondto an offer sent through SMS. Further, the media coordination system 604may allow retailers, vendors, and third parties to align theirpromotional activities with each other in order to ascertain theincrease/decrease of funds required for a particular promotional channeland the utilization of a particular channel (according to its reach) bythe consumers. The media coordination system 604 may also facilitatecoordination of various CPG-funded activities across various businessunits. Moreover, the media coordination system may facilitate efficientand greater measurement and analysis of marketing activities.

In accordance with an embodiment, the media targeting system 600 may beimplemented to enhance media targeting operations of a third partythrough a third party channel, such as a third party in-store couponprinter. The third party channel may provide input to the cross channelmedia coordination system 604 to ensure that no conflicting promotionaloffers are being delivered on non-third party channels. For example, ifa user receives a “Cadbury's” coupon via a third party in-store couponprinter, the cross channel media coordination system 604 may block anyoffer from “Nestle” during that promotional period. A third partypromoter may generate promotional offers such as coupons for a loyaltycard holder, which may be provided as an input to the media targetingsystem 600. This system may monitor promotional offers from variousother channels on receiving the input, block the conflicting offersprovided from non-third party channels, and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the media targeting system 600 may include aconflict resolution system 602 that may be configured to preventconflicting messages, promotions, advertisements, and the like fromreaching consumers in accordance with various embodiments of the presentinvention. In an embodiment, the conflict resolution system 602 mayprevent or block multiple offers to be shown to a consumer that mayresult in negative pricing. For example, the conflict resolution system602 may block an offer through a retailer's digital system, such asCOREMA, if the same product has also been discounted by a vendor's offerthrough “load-to-card”.

In another embodiment, the conflict resolution system 602 may preventoffers or messages from competing brands to be shown to a consumerduring the same trip to the retailer. For example, the system mayprevent a hand held scanner from showing an advertisement for Coke andan offer for Pepsi to a consumer on the same trip.

In another embodiment, the conflict resolution system 602 may help inintegrating merchandising by blocking conflicting messages betweendigital and real world channels. For example, when a health drink isbeing promoted on end-caps, and the like, the conflict resolution system602 may block advertisements of soft drinks from being displayed ontouch-points, such as hand-held devices and deli kiosks.

In still another embodiment, the conflict resolution system 602 may helpin integrating the prices of a product and thus, preventing aretailer-vendor conflict. For example, the conflict resolution system602 may block a touch-point offer for a product by a retailer if a“load-to-card” offer for the same product has been sent by the vendor.Further, the conflict resolution system 602 may integrate the in-storeand out-of-store touch points to ensure that conflicting messages arenot delivered. Therefore, promotions and messages displayed on a digitaltouch point will not conflict with other digital touch points.

In accordance with an embodiment, the media targeting system 600 mayfacilitate integration and coordination of a plurality of heterogeneousdata-handling devices, network enabled devices, and the like. Variouschannels of message/promotion such as a printer at checkout, a textmessage, a voice message, a printed coupon, a touch point, a mobiledevice, a website, an overhead screen, a retail mobile computer, aload-to-card offer, a kiosk, a digital coupon, an email, and the likethat may be available to retailers for targeting clients may bestrategized and managed through cross-channel media coordination,optimization, and conflict resolution accomplished by the mediatargeting system 600 as described by the present disclosure.

In an embodiment, the promotional messages, advertisements, offers, andthe like may flow through the media targeting system 600 in order toavoid any conflict. The system 600 according to the present inventionmay include a capability to resolve and manage conflicts and ensuremutual exclusivity. The media targeting system 600 may ensure that acoupon for a product may not be disbursed to the same consumer twice.Moreover, it may also be ensured that coupons belonging to competitorsare not delivered to the same consumer during the same trip.Additionally, the media targeting system 600 may also ensure thatdigital programs do not conflict with non-digital initiatives.

In another embodiment, the media targeting system 600 may coordinate theflow of promotions for an entity across various channels 500 even if thechannels 500 are not controlled by the entity. For example, the mediatargeting system 600 may block offers for a product on a touch-point ata retailer's end if the same product is being promoted through channelscontrolled by the vendor via print advertisement.

In another embodiment, checks may also be made to ensure that noconflicts occur within a single category of products and therefore,ensure that a good mix of products is available for promotion.

The media targeting system 600 may provide a unified platform formeasuring an impact of a particular channel or for measuring a combinedimpact of various channels 500 on promotions and messaging. Accordingly,strategies may be developed or modified in order to target the endconsumers, furthering business gains. For example, if the mediatargeting system 600 suggests a decrease in the interest or utility ofin-store printers for promotions and messaging, more attention may bepaid on other alternatives to develop a better consumer base withminimum efforts and cost effective manners. In another exemplaryscenario, an aggregate impact of promotions that run across multipletouch points may be measured using the media targeting system 600. Basedon these measurements, values of different touch points may be isolatedand quantified. Accordingly, future marketing tactics and touch pointsutilization may be determined easily based on the isolated andquantified values.

In an embodiment, the media targeting system 600 may also be enabled,through an analysis and optimization facility 632, to perform astatistical analysis of usage of the various channels 500 for varioustypes of consumers and in various locations. The statistical analysismay be controlled through various statistical models being implementedthrough a computer-implemented analysis and optimization facility 630functionality of the media targeting system 600. Further, the analysisand optimization facility 630 may comprise a multi-terabyte datawarehouse containing transactions made in association with the platform620 plus transactions from the POS not made in association with theplatform 620. The analysis and optimization facility 630 may alsoperform statistical projections of campaign performance using historicaldata with mid-flight corrections. A media data and consumer purchasedata warehouse 634 may contain past media and consumer purchase data formassively parallel analytics. The warehouse 634 may be a Hadoopwarehouse.

Since every event is logged by loyalty identification and device, theusage data may be tied back to retailer POS transactions. Using theselogs, a measurement and reporting facility 630 of the media deliveryservice platform 620 may enable reports to be generated and shared withthe relevant entities, such as custom reports mapping data to businessterms between retailers, brands, and aggregators. The measurement andreporting facility 630 may be associated with a datamart with cannedJasper reports delivering quantitative insights in an automated manner.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention,user-level frequency and capping may be implemented with the use of themedia targeting system 600. User-level frequency and capping is afunctionality that may ensure targeting of a consumer with directassignment offers at an appropriate frequency level and an appropriatenumber of times. The media delivery services platform 620 may employ asingle, real-time counter 624 enabling instant offers at a set issuanceor redemption limit. The present functionality may take user-levelexposure into account when determining the direct assignment offers tobe made available for a specific user during a particular time period.The functionality of user-level frequency and capping may consist of twobasic functional blocks namely, frequency and capping. The frequencyblock may analyze the user purchase history, segmentation and the like,and may determine the last time a user was targeted with a particularoffer. Accordingly, the duration after which that offer, message,advertisement, and the like may be shown again to the consumer may beidentified according to a campaign business rule. For example, a usermay be targeted with an advertisement frequently based on frequencyanalysis, but not more than every three weeks.

The capping block may determine the number of times a consumer has seenan offer and the total number of times the same offer may be shown tothe consumer as defined by the campaign business rules. For example, aconsumer may be targeted with an advertisement, but for not more than aweek. Therefore, frequency and capping together may identify user levelexposure to offers, messages, and advertisements, and accordingly userrequirements may be decided. The user may then be targeted based on thefrequency and capping analysis. Direct assignment offers will only bedisplayed to users that fall within the allowed user-level frequencyparameters for that offer. Direct assignment offers will not bedisplayed to users that have exceeded the user-level issuance cap forthat offer. Web preview will accurately show what the user has beentargeted with and viewing an offer via web preview does not count as anissuance for the purposes of frequency limits of issuance capping.Additional users may be added to the direct assignment list for an offerwithout negatively affecting the frequency and issuance tracking ofexisting targeted users. A user may be removed from the list of directlyassigned offer/user pairings.

In an embodiment, a billing and clearing facility 622 of the mediadelivery service platform 620 provides detailed issuance records bytouchpoint, chain, store, and the like. The billing and clearingfacility 622 may also provide coupon mapping management from onlinedigital to retailer systems' coupons, thus enabling e-clearing.

In an embodiment, the media targeting system 600 may enable a consumerto communicate and transfer an offer to “Friends” linked to them via asocial networking tool, such as FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and the like. Thisprocess may be known as mobile coupon sharing. The media targetingsystem 604 may deliver promotions to consumers on their mobile devicesusing one of or a combination of the conflict management system 602,media coordination system 604, the scan-and-bag facility 1000, a traitdefinition, a tracked zone, and the like. Alternatively, thescan-and-bag facility 1000 could be used to deliver offers without themedia targeting system 600. Both the media targeting system 600 and thescan-and-bag facility 1000 may use the consumer's loyalty card as a keytracking identification for activities which occur plus targeting offersto the consumer. This disclosure provides for how a consumer can (a)post a shareable offer to their social networking Wall and (b) allow afriend to “grab” the offer for their own use.

Using the media targeting system 600, offers may be generated inaccordance with: (1) Targeting to loyalty cards and/or behavioral traitsand; (2) defining offer attributes such as coupon value, applicableproducts, graphics, and the like. With mobile coupon sharing, a new“Shareable” attribute may be added to each offer.

To enable mobile coupon sharing, the consumer may need to register thescan-and-bag facility 1000 or media targeting system 600 with the socialnetworking site. When a consumer sees an offer via any of the channelsassociated with the scan-and-bag facility 1000 or media targeting system600, if the Shareable attribute is true and the consumer registered thescan-and-bag facility 1000 or media targeting system 600 with the socialnetworking site, a Share button may be displayed in association with theoffer. When the consumer presses the Share button, the Offer may beposted to their social network wall with at least one of a link uniquelyidentifying the offer, who shared the offer, at what retailer the offercan be redeemed, and the like. Sharing the offer may be done in anencrypted manner. The media targeting system 600 may record this event.On a site such as FACEBOOK, all of the consumer's friends would see thisposting and can now access this link on any device including web andmobile devices.

When the Friend clicks the link, they arrive at a registration websiteso that the system knows the correct Friend and their retailer loyaltyID. The Friend only needs to register once per device to store theirretailer loyalty ID. Once registered, the media targeting system 600 orscan-and-bag facility 1000 may target this Offer at the Friend's loyaltycard since they clicked the link. When the Friend uses any retailertouchpoint targeted by the media targeting system 600, they have nowbeen targeted by this Offer and can redeem it. Any number of theconsumer's Friends can also obtain the Offer in an identical manner.

In an embodiment, the media targeting system 600 may enable a firstconsumer to communicate and transfer the offer to another mobile deviceby using a bump application. The bump application may allow two mobiledevice users such as the first consumer and a second consumer to bumptheir mobile devices, such as a first mobile device and a second mobiledevice, together to exchange offers and other information such ascontact information, photos, and the like, between the mobile devices.For example, a consumer may share an offer with friends by bumping theirmobile device with another consumer's mobile device. When two consumersbump their mobile devices, the data may be automatically sent through aseparate internet server to the other user, which may be able to detectwhen any two mobile devices using the application bump each other. Thisprocess may be known as mobile offer bumping.

As mentioned herein, the media targeting system 600 may deliver offersto the first consumer on the first mobile device using one of or acombination of the conflict management system 602, media coordinationsystem 604, and the scan-and-bag facility 1000. The media targetingsystem 600 may also present an offer to the first consumer in anapplication associated with the media targeting system 600, as discussedabove. The offer may be targeted to the first consumer by the mediatargeting system 600, such as by targeting behavioral traits of thefirst consumer. The behavioral traits may include, products brought,purchase values, and the like. Using the media targeting system 600,offers may be generated in accordance with: (1) Targeting to loyaltycards and/or behavioral traits of the first consumer and; (2) definingoffer attributes such as coupon value, applicable products, graphics,and the like. With mobile offer bumping, a new “Shareable” attribute maybe added to each offer. Alternatively, the scan-and-bag facility 1000may be used to deliver offers without the media targeting system 600.

The bump application may allow the first consumer to bump the firstmobile device with the second mobile device of the second consumer fortransferring the offer to the second consumer.

Both the media targeting system 600 and the scan-and-bag facility 1000may use the consumer's loyalty card as a key tracking identification fortargeting offers to the consumers.

The first consumer may receive the offer via any of the channelsassociated with the scan-and-bag facility 1000 or media targeting system600. If the shareable attribute is applicable to the offer and themobile offer bumping functionality is activated on the second mobiledevice, a Bump icon may be displayed in association with the offer. Inuse, the first consumer may bump the first mobile device with the secondmobile device of the second consumer. It will be evident to a personskilled in the art that the mobile devices being bumped may need toactivate the mobile offer bumping functionality on their respectivemobile devices. Once the first and second mobile devices are bumped, thefirst consumer may receive a confirmation message about the offers beingshared by bumping.

When the first consumer presses the Bump icon, the offer may be sharedwith the second consumer. The second consumer may store the receivedoffer in the digital offer wallet 628 stored in the media deliveryservice platform 620. During storing, the second consumer may associatea loyalty card of the second consumer with the received offer. In anexemplary embodiment, information about the received offer may also bestored. The information may include at least one of an identification ofthe offer, who shared the offer, at what retailer the offer may beredeemed, and the like. Further, bumping the offer may be done in anencrypted manner. The media targeting system 600 may also record anevent of offer bumping between consumers.

Further, the second consumer may redeem the shareable offer stored inthe digital offer wallet 628. When the second consumer uses the loyaltycard at any retailer touchpoint targeted by the media targeting system600, the second consumer may be targeted by the stored offer. Hence, thestored offer may be redeemed when the second consumer uses the loyaltycard at the retailer touchpoint. Additionally, any number of theconsumer's friends may obtain the bumped offer in an identical manner orvia other sharing methods described herein.

In an embodiment, the media targeting system 600 may track consumersinside a store, specifically zone tracking—allowing a store to trackconsumers and deliver offers to consumers based on their location withina store. Zone tracking uses the concept of “store geography” to enablemedia targeting both in the presence of as well as in the absence ofconsumer triggers. In embodiments of the present invention, the zonetracking system and method may enable targeting of media to at least oneelectronic device within a store based upon the physical location of atleast one electronic device associated with a consumer within the store.By tracking the consumer's present location within the store and theitems in the vicinity of the consumer, the zone tracking system andmethod of the present invention may accurately determine the best mediato display to a consumer at each given moment during the consumer'sshopping experience. This increases the number of relevant media thatthe consumer may be exposed to during a visit to the store.

In embodiments of the present invention, the zone tracking system andmethod leverages a fingerprinting algorithm that has been developed totrack wireless 802.11-based devices. An 802.11-based wireless networkmay be utilized for tracking the location of a consumer in a store.Unlike other positioning systems, the zone tracking system and methodmay utilize an 802.11 wireless network to identify a general area (alsoreferred to as a zone and described in detail below) within a storewhere the consumer and the electronic device associated with theconsumer may be presently located. More specifically, the consumer maymove around a store utilizing an electronic device, and the zonetracking system and method (according to the embodiments of the presentinvention) may track the location of the consumer. On identifying thelocation of a consumer's electronic device, the zone tracking system andmethod of the present invention may deliver offers and advertisements tothe consumer's electronic device based on the present and/or estimatedlocation of the electronic device in the store. While embodiments of thepresent invention have been discussed with respect to the use of Wi-Fior 802.11 networks, it should be appreciated that RFID, Bluetooth, orcellular-type systems may also be used to determine the location anddeliver relevant.

In embodiments of the present invention, the zone tracking system andmethod may employ a more sophisticated category of Wi-Fi locationtracking by utilizing an 802.11 wireless network, sometimes referred toas RF fingerprinting. RF fingerprinting may be based on sampling andrecording of radio signal behavior patterns in specific environments.The strength and distance relationship of an RF signal may be affectedby the environment, including (but not limited to) geometry of thelocation, objects, human traffic, minors, windows, weather conditions,placement of access points, the make and model of the radio, and eventhe time of day. RF fingerprinting may use intelligent algorithms toimprove location-tracking precision by accounting for theseenvironmental effects on the wireless signal that may create attenuationand multi-path problems in the delivery of information over wirelessnetworks.

In embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 7 illustrates zonetracking system 700. A typical store utilizing zone tracking system 700may be divided into several zones, generally left zone 702, middle zone704, and right zone 708. A zone may be a group of neighboring aisleswithin a store. It should be appreciated that the size of a zone mayvary depending on the size of the store and the placement of accesspoints (devices that allow wireless communication devices to connect toa wireless network), providing signal strength information within a zone(as discussed in detail below). Access points (710, 712, 714, and 718)may be distributed in at least the comers of the store and may spanacross zones (702, 704, and 708). Moreover, the access points (710, 712,714, and 718) may be distributed throughout the store to monitor signalstrengths of the electronic device 720 as it moves up and down aisles722 during a shopping visit. In embodiments of the present invention,the zone tracking system and method utilizes at least one access point,but it should be appreciated that the zone tracking system 700 mayaccommodate as many access points as the store may desire.

In embodiments of the present invention, at least one location-trackingserver 724 may be utilized in the zone tracking system and method.Location-tracking server 724 may include software 728 that maycommunicate with the electronic device 720 being utilized by a consumerwithin the store. Software 728 may listen to 802.11 signals emitted bythe electronic device 720 moving around the store on a periodic basis.Location-tracking server 724 may include database 730 that may collectsignal strength information associated with different positions withinthe store. This database may create an RF fingerprint for each zone(702, 704, and 708) of the store and record how each access point viewsan area in the store from a signal strength perspective. This data maybe later utilized to ensure more accurate and immediate delivery ofoffers and advertisements to the consumer associated with electronicdevice 720 within the store.

Location-tracking server 728 may also include server software 732, whichmay translate the signal data collected from the electronic device 720into an identification of the zone (702, 704, and 708) associated withthe collected signal data. Each electronic device 720 may report signalstrength data to the location-tracking server 724, and the serversoftware 732 may then translate this data into an identification of azone location on a continuous basis. In a preferred embodiment, thistranslation may be performed every 10 seconds. Accordingly,location-tracking server 724 may take into account the differencesbetween the environment and electronic device 720, such as antennacharacteristic differences may be between each electronic device as wellas wireless signal differences within the store measured at differenttimes of the day and different days of the week.

A store may have a map (often referred to as a planogram) that maypermit identification of the location of items within the store. Theplanogram may include information including, but not limited to, aislenumber, shelf number, section of aisle, the product description, and thebar code for the item. This data may be used by a store to allocateshelf space for product vendors. A typical planogram data file mayinclude a list of 60-70% of the universal product codes (UPCs) carriedby the store. The location-tracking server 724 may also include database734 containing the planogram for the store. Planogram database 738 maymaintain at least information on the UPCs for each item within the storeand the corresponding aisle number for the item. Based on this planogramdata, when a consumer scans a UPC, zone tracking system 700 may locatethe aisle 722, where the consumer is shopping as well as the item thatthe consumer has scanned.

A “fingerprint” of the specific wireless environment in a store iscalculated by a physical walk-around using a handheld spectrum analysisdevice during the “setup” phase. While the zone tracking system 700 maybe in a “learning” mode during the “setup” phase, an item may be scannedand its description and signal strength may be sent to thelocation-tracking server 724. The data collected during the “‘setup”phase may be later compared to deviations in the real-time environmentto enable the zone tracking system to locate an electronic deviceassociated with a consumer within the store. Thus, data collected,including signal strength and product information, is stored inrespective databases 730 and 734 on the location-tracking server 724(for later use) to identify offers associated with a particular zone(702, 704, and 708) containing a certain item. As more data iscollected, the zone tracking system 700 learn the zone and productlocations better, providing more accurate delivery of advertisements andoffers to a consumer shopping in the store.

In embodiments of the present invention, deployment of an RFfingerprinting-based zone tracking system may be divided into twophases: (1) the fingerprinting phase; and (2) the operating phase.During the fingerprinting phase, data is accumulated by performing awalk-around of the store with the electronic device 720. Electronicdevice 720 samples and collects the signal strength data from multipleaccess points (710, 712, 714, and 718). In an example, one data readingmay be taken from each zone (702, 704, and 708). For each access point,electronic device 720 records the signal strength associated with theaccess point along with the location of electronic device 720 as well asthe MAC address associated with each access point. Accordingly, the datareadings may indicate the signal strength at each access point (710,712, 714, and 718) within each zone (702, 704, and 708). The signalstrength associated with each access point typically decreases bydistance from the location-tracking server 724, which records the datareadings; although it should be appreciated that the decrease indistance may not be necessarily linear.

During the initial store setup, the aisle information (developed fromthe planogram database 734 for the store) may be used to create zones(702, 704, and 708). Each zone represents an area in the store largeenough to distinguish the signal strength variations between accesspoints (710, 712, 714, and 718) positioned in different parts of astore. Thus, between two neighboring zones, there may be a noticeabledifference in the signal strengths associated with the access points.Access points may be evenly distributed throughout the store to coverthe square footage of the entire store. Access points are generallyplaced in such a way that the electronic device 720 may “see” at leastthree access points at any given point in time. For example, there maybe one access point in every corner of a 5,000 square foot store.Depending on the size of the store and the number of access points to bedeployed, the zones associated with a store may be smaller in size. Forexample, a store of 65,000 square feet may be divided into 3-12different zones.

In the operational phase, a consumer walks around the store withelectronic device 720, which has already been fingerprinted during thefingerprinting phase. The consumer may use the electronic device 720 toscan items. While the consumer walks around aisles 722 within the store,the electronic device 720 associated with the consumer may engage inperiodic measurements of the signal strengths from all the access points(10, 712, 714, and 718) and towards the location-tracking server 724.The location-tracking server 724 may use a positioning algorithm as wellas fingerprinting database 730 built during the fingerprinting phase toestimate the location of the electronic device 720 within the store. Thezone (702, 704, and 708) associated with the present position of theelectronic device 720 may be derived from fingerprint database 730 aswell as the current signal strength recorded by the electronic device720. Accordingly, the electronic device 720 may send signal strengthdata to the location-tracking server 724 to communicate the present zonelocation of the electronic device 720.

Using the signal strengths reported from each of the access points inproximity to the electronic device 720, the location-tracking server 724compares the data recorded by the electronic device 720 with thepreviously reported fingerprint data for electronic device 720 containedin the fingerprinting database 730. The positioning algorithm may thenassess each data point sent by the electronic device 720 to find thebest match and accordingly identify the current location (zone) of theelectronic device 720. The electronic device 720 may use an Euclidiandeterministic algorithm to find the minimum statistical signal distancebetween a detected signal strength location vector and the locationvectors of the various fingerprinted sample points, although othersimilar algorithms may be utilized without departing from the objects ofthe present invention. The sample point with the minimum statisticalsignal distance between itself and the detected location vector may beregarded as the most likely estimate of the present location of theelectronic device 720. In embodiments of the present invention, once thezone location for the electronic device 720 may be determined, the zonetracking system 700 may check relevant offers for the identified zone(702, 704, or 708) and deliver those offers to the consumer's electronicdevice 720.

In embodiments of the present invention, the zone tracking system andmethod may be utilized to identify items located in a given zone withinthe store and send an offer to the electronic device. In a firstembodiment of the zone tracking method, as illustrated in FIG. 8, anelectronic device may be activated by the consumer (step 802), and theconsumer uses the electronic device to initiate a scan of the UPC for aselected item within the store (step 804). Upon scanning the UPC for theitem, the electronic device may transmit UPC information for the item tothe location tracking server 724 (step 808). In this embodiment, theelectronic device may also transmit the signal strength of every accesspoint in and around the scanned item to the location-tracking server724, thereby further adding to the database of zones and associatedsignal strengths housed within the location-tracking server 724.

The location-tracking server 724 may validate the UPC information (step810). The location-tracking server 724 determines the zone in the storeassociated with the UPC information for the item using the planogramdatabase housed within the location-tracking server 724 (step 812). Thelocation-tracking server 724 identifies the aisle where the electronicdevice may be located based on the planogram data stored on thelocation-tracking server 724 (step 814). Based on the planogram data,the zone may be identified and combined with the signal strength of theaccess point to form a fingerprint data point. It should be appreciatedthat this type of data point collection may be performed each time aconsumer scans an item. The location-tracking server 724 may thentransmit an offer to the electronic device that may be either related tothe item associated with the UPC just scanned or for other productswithin the zone where the scanned item may be located (step 818).

In another embodiment of the zone tracking method, according to thepresent invention illustrated in FIG. 9, the electronic device may beactivated by the consumer (step 1402), but the consumer does notinitiate any scan at the time of activation. In this embodiment, theelectronic device continuously transmits signal strength information(also sometimes referred to as the RF fingerprint) to thelocation-tracking server 724 for the zone tracking system (step 1404).The location-tracking server 724 may then use statistical algorithms,corresponding to the signal strength data transmitted by the electronicdevice (step 1408), to find the best matching area in the store. In casea matching area may be found, the location-tracking server 724 may makea prediction about the zone where the electronic device may be presentlypositioned and thus, deliver an offer related to the zone, if such anoffer exists (step 1410). In case of unavailability of a matching zone,the location-tracking server 724 may still deliver oilers to theelectronic device, but it may be unlikely that the oilers will bezone-specific, as the location-tracking server 724 was unable to locatethe position of the electronic device within a particular zone in thestore at the time of transmittal of the signal strength information.

In embodiments of the present invention, when a consumer releases anelectronic device upon entry into a store, the consumer may receive anoffer within their first minute of usage. This offer may be thehighest-ranked, pre-targeted offer for that consumer, regardless of theconsumer's present location within the store. This may be done toinstantly introduce the consumer to the use of the electronic device aswell as to demonstrate the potential money-saving aspects by utilizingthe electronic device within the store.

FIG. 10 illustrates a scan-and-bag facility 1000 for a retailenvironment. The scan-and-bag facility 1000 may be implemented as anapplication on multiple clients or handheld devices 1002 comprisingdifferent hardware/software combinations including, but not limited to,Motorola MC-17x™, Apple iPhone iOS 4.0.x™ and the like. The scan-and-bagfacility 1000 may provide a consumer a functionality to scan itemspurchased by the consumer in a retail store. The consumer, aftershopping for various items or products, may proceed to a point of sale(POS) 1004 or regular checkout for payment of the products. In anembodiment, the scan-and-bag facility 1000 may send the total cost ofthe products bought and scanned by the consumer directly to the POS1004. For example, the consumer may shop from a plurality of aisles in ashopping mall and may scan the products with a handheld device 1002. Theconsumer may be able to view the cost of a product and may also be ableto view the total amount that may be payable at the POS 1004. The POS1004 may in turn view the total amount payable by the consumer, thussaving time in such a transaction. In an embodiment, the scan-and-bagfacility 1000 may include a transmitting facility that may becommunicatively coupled to the scan-and-bag facility 1000. Further, thetransmitting facility may be capable of sending a total cost of thepurchased products to a point of sale (POS) facility in a retail store.The transmitting facility may automatically send the total amount of theproducts purchased by the consumer to the POS 1004. In an alternateembodiment, the total amount of products purchased may be sent by theconsumer by pressing a key of the transmitting facility. In anotherembodiment, the total amount of the products may be fetched by a cashierat the POS 1004. In an aspect, the point of sale 1004 may comprise ageneral computer or may be a special checkout system such as thecheckout systems manufactured by Fujitsu, IBM, MICROS Systems,Panasonic, Radiant Systems, Sharp, Squirrel Systems and the like, whichmay include the scan-and-bag facility 1000 as provided by the presentinvention.

In an embodiment, the scan-and-bag facility 1000 and/or the mediadelivery service platform 620 may provide a consumer with an offerwallet 628, or e-wallet, that may display a plurality of electroniccoupons that may be used by the consumer. In an embodiment, the OfferWallet 628 stores each issuance of an offer on any touchpoint in thecloud for the loyalty card for the sale week. For example, thescan-and-bag facility 1000 may access a plurality of electronic couponsstored in the handheld device 1002 or any other data repository.Thereafter, the scan-and-bag facility 1000 may provide electroniccoupons related to the products scanned by the consumer.

In another embodiment, the scan-and-bag facility 1000 may communicatewith a Media Targeting System 1008 by making regular calls to the MediaTargeting System 1008 to check if any additional relevant offers may bepresented to the consumer at that time. As described in previousparagraphs, the Media Targeting System 1008 may be configured tocoordinate media and manage media conflicts, in accordance with variousembodiments of the present invention. For example, a consumer may buyand scan a razor upon which the scan-and-bag facility 1000 may receiveinformation from the handheld device 1002 or handheld scanner regardingthe same. The real-time information regarding the razor may then be sentto the Media Targeting System 1008 by the scan-and-bag facility 1000.The Media Targeting System 1008, upon receiving the information, maydetermine that the client may be provided with a discount on shavingcream or any other utility item and such a discount may then be providedto the consumer on the handheld device 1002 by the scan-and-bag facility1000.

In an embodiment, the scan-and-bag facility 1000 may include a clientapplication implemented on a handheld device 1002 or software such asMC-17x client, Apple iPhone iOS 4.0.x client, and the like, and anapplication server such as an In-Store Application Server or POS 1004,and the like. In an aspect, the client application software may beimplemented on a handheld device 1002 such as Motorola MC-17x, AppleiPhone, and the like. In another aspect, the application server may bean application server, general computer at the checkout point, a specialcheckout hardware device, and the like. In an embodiment, the clientapplication may enable a related handheld device 1002 to communicatewith the in-store application server for a plurality of functions suchas transactional and media functions, and the like.

In an embodiment, functionalities such as media functionality, and thelike may be transferred from the application server as described by thepresent invention to the Media Targeting System 1008 (described in theprevious paragraphs) server located in a retailer data center or cloud.

In another embodiment, a local media functionality may be provided bythe scan-and-bag facility 1000. In an aspect, the scan-and-bag facility1000 may enable presentation of ads, offers, discounts, and the like, asand when the same are received from the Media Targeting System 1008. Forexample, the scan-and-bag facility 1000 may provide a local mediafunctionality that may provide a discount to a consumer regarding aproduct scanned by the consumer on a handheld device 1002.

The scan-and-bag facility 1000 may also provide a local cachingfunctionality of previously displayed offers, discounts, ads, and thelike. For example, the scan-and-bag facility 1000 may enable storing thee-wallet on a Motorola MC-17x device's local cache. Such e-wallet storedin the local cache may be readily utilized at a later time.

In embodiments, the scan-and-bag facility 1000 may enable pushing ofoffers, discounts, ads, and the like to the POS 1004 at the completionof a transaction. For example, a consumer upon shopping various productsmay proceed to the POS 1004 for payment. At the POS 1004, the consumermay be provided various discounts on the products purchased and thediscounts may reflect in the bill incurred by the consumer.

In an embodiment, the scan-and-bag facility 1000 may enable centralizingmedia logic into the Media Targeting System 1008. In an aspect, theclient application updates and the in-store application server updatesmay not require modifying the media logic stored in the Media TargetingSystem 1008. Further, a user-level persistence of targeted media may beimplemented across multiple channels/stores.

The scan-and-bag facility 1000 provided by the present invention mayalso be implemented on a consumer-owned mobile device such as a mobilephone, personal digital assistant, or other mobile device. For example,the client application provided by the scan-and-bag facility 1000 may beimplemented in the mobile phone of a consumer. This may provide theconsumer with automatic updates regarding available or latest ads,offers, discounts, and the like. In certain embodiments, thescan-and-bag facility 1000 may be a mobile shopping and paymentapplication, as will be described further herein.

The scan-and-bag facility 1000 provided by the instant disclosure mayenable a retailer to reach a large number of consumers by providing adsdirectly on a consumer's mobile phone or other mobile device. Theretailers providing scan-and-bag functionality to the consumers mayexpand their usage by utilizing the solution provided by the presentinvention. The present invention may also increase the media deliveryopportunities provided by the retailers by bringing trip planning andon-the-go activities into the addressable media ecosystem.

The scan-and-bag facility 1000 as described by the present disclosureimplemented on a consumer's mobile device may provide addedfunctionality to the scan-and-bag feature provided by a conventionalscan-and-bag device. The scan-and-bag facility 1000 may be installed inthe mobile device of the consumer. In an embodiment, the scan-and-bagfunctionality installed in the mobile device may be registered for asingle consumer by using a unique ID or number such as a loyalty cardnumber, and the like so that the mobile device of the consumer acts as aunique device for the consumer.

In an embodiment, the handheld device 1002 may be a mobile phone ownedby the consumer. The consumer may be able to scan and view prices ofvarious items on the mobile phone 1002, add to the cart total and viewthe net total on the mobile phone 1002. After completing shopping themobile phone 1002 may be enabled to push or send the details regardingthe items purchased to the POS 1004. The details regarding the itemspurchased may be sent from the mobile phone 1002 to the POS 1004 bypressing a key on the mobile phone, by scanning an end-of-order barcode,or by some other indication.

In an embodiment, the mobile device enabled by the scan-and-bag facility1000 may receive offers while shopping or scanning of items. Theconsumer may also be able to view the offer wallet containing aplurality of electronic coupons and may push or send relevant offers tothe POS 1004 at the checkout. For example, a consumer scans an item byusing a mobile phone and is provided with an offer. If the consumerpurchases the same item, the related offer may be sent to the POS 1004so that the offer or discount is implemented on the total bill.

In an embodiment, the mobile device enabled by the present invention mayprovide a unique interface to the consumer. In an aspect, the mobiledevice may be able to scan-and-bag and provide an interface to viewvarious available offers while the consumer is in a retail store. Inanother aspect, the mobile device may be able to provide a consumer aninterface to view the various available offers while the consumer is outof the store.

In an embodiment, the mobile device enabled by the present invention maybe able to utilize a store specific Wi-Fi connection and may be able torecognize a specific store. Such a device may be able to distinguishbetween various stores a consumer visits and may be able to provideoffers, discounts, and the like relevant to the particular store.

In an embodiment, the scan-and-bag facility 1000 may be able tocommunicate with the Media Targeting System 1008. The scan-and-bagfacility 1000 may enable sending media requests to the Media TargetingSystem 1008 that may in turn provide relevant information for eachrequest. The Media Targeting System 1008 may send information regardingthe consumer, items scanned, and the like to the handheld device 1002.In an aspect, the relevant media information such as informationregarding User ID, scanned UPC, store ID, and the like, may be sent bythe Media Targeting System 1008 to the handheld device 1002. Thehandheld device 1002 may display media information received from theMedia Targeting System 1008 to the consumer instantaneously. In anotherembodiment, the Media Targeting System 1008 may be able to sendinformation regarding a wireless zone as identified by an access pointtriangulation to the handheld device 1002 enabled by the scan-and-bagfacility 1000 provided by this disclosure.

Several events may trigger the zone tracking system to determine ifthere are relevant advertisements or offers to be delivered to theconsumer at any given time. Referring to FIG. 11 various methods forzone tracking of an electronic device associated with a consumer areillustrated. In an embodiment, an initial offer may be presented to theconsumer's electronic device at step 1102. At step 1104, the consumermay use his/her electronic device to scan a bar code. This scanning maytrigger the zone tracking system to look for advertisements or offersfor that consumer based on the item scanned, at step 1108. Similarly,the zone tracking system may identify the location of the consumerwithin the store where the consumer may be scanning items and may alsodeliver an advertisement or offer related to the zone. Accordingly, atstep 1110, the zone tracking system may deliver offers matching thescanned item or the location of the scanned item.

In another embodiment, there may be a setting associated with theelectronic device that may trigger a search by the zone tracking systemwhen there have been no scan events over a predetermined period of time.At step 1112, the electronic device may remain idle for a predeterminedperiod of time. Alternatively, as depicted in step 1114, the consumermay move from one location to another within the store and theconsumer's electronic device may report signal strengths from severalaccess points to the location-tracking server. Based on this signalstrength data and/or a predefined setting on the electronic device, thelocation-tracking server that forms part of the zone tracking system maydetermines the present location of the electronic device, at step 1118.Thereafter, at step 1120, the system may deliver an offer based on thatpresent location of the electronic device. Thus, even when the consumermay not be scanning any items, the location of the consumer may still bereported to the location-tracking server. Such tracking may allowtargeting of a particular offer when the consumer passes an aisle wherethe offer would be valid (i.e., targeting a Coke offer when the consumerpasses the soft drink aisle). Accordingly, the zone tracking system andmethod according to embodiments of the present invention may not alwaysrequire manual actions (such as scanning) by the consumer utilizing anelectronic device within the store to enable zone tracking Thus, thezone tracking system and method according to embodiments of the presentinvention may allow the consumer to receive offers based on locationwithin the store as well as the consumer's transaction history and offerinventory available from the store and/or CPG companies.

It should be appreciated that different types of offers may becontemplated by the present disclsoure. A pre-targeted offer may be a1:1 offer that may be targeted based on purchase history. Further,real-time media may be an offer or promotional message targeted based onin-store behavior of a trip (location, scanned item, etc). It alsoshould be appreciated that the advertisement or offer may be deliveredto the consumer's electronic device utilizing a variety of criteria. Forexample, in some embodiments of the present invention, an advertisementor offer may be delivered over a specified time frame based on ananalysis of the consumer's transaction history. Additionally, an offeror advertisement may be delivered based on an analysis of prior offersdelivered to the consumer's electronic device during the present storevisit.

Referring to FIG. 12, when events associated with the consumer'selectronic device occur (i.e., scanning, idling or other movement), thezone tracking system may determine whether a pre-targeted offer may beavailable for the scanned item or the present location of the electronicdevice within the store as shown in step 1202. At step 1204, if apre-targeted offer exists, that offer may be delivered to the electronicdevice of the consumer. If there is no pre-targeted offer, at step 1208,the system may then determine whether a previously unseen pre-targetedoffer exists for the zone in which the electronic device may be. If suchan offer exists, then the highest-ranked previously unseen pre-targetedoffer for that zone may be delivered to the electronic device of theconsumer at step 1210. Further, if there is no such offer, at step 1212,the system may determine whether there is real-time media associatedwith the scanned item. If real-time media exists, it may be delivered tothe electronic device of the consumer at step 1214.

However, if real-time media does not exist, at step 1218, the system mayassess whether there is any previously seen media associated with thezone in which the electronic device may be presently positioned. If thatmedia exists, it may be delivered to the electronic device of theconsumer at step 1220. Otherwise, at step 1222, the system may determinewhether a pre determined amount of time (i.e., 5 minutes) has passedsince any new media was delivered to the consumer's electronic device.If that predetermined amount of time has passed, the highest-rankedunseen offer may be delivered to the electronic device of the consumerat step 1224 but otherwise, no offers may be delivered to the consumer'selectronic device at step 1228.

In embodiments, offers may be delivered based on movement of theconsumer's electronic device around the store. For example, an offer maybe delivered before the consumer is about to enter a zone, at the timewhen the consumer enters a zone and/or after the consumer scans an itemwithin a zone. The zone tracking system and method according toembodiments of the present invention may also allow prediction of zoneswhere the consumer's electronic device may be located and the deliveryof offers based on tracking of the zones. Moreover, the zone trackingsystem and method may predict the consumer's direction of movementwithin the store and may identify the zone in which the consumer may bemoving (i.e., based on the last four items scanned).

Further, the offers to be delivered to a consumer may be in the same orin a different category as an item that has been scanned using theelectronic device. For example, the consumer may scan a cereal productand receive an upsell offer, such as an upgraded product or related itemat the time that the consumer selects the cereal product. Additionally,the brand owner may want to introduce a new product to the consumer. Asan example, the consumer may scan pasta sauce and get an offer forpasta.

In embodiments, the signal strength measured at the same location by anelectronic device over several trips around the store may not always bestatic due to multi-path and other phenomena. Due to a variation insignal strength which may occur over time, many samples of data may berecorded for each location within the store. A typical data set mayinclude 20-25 data points per zone over various times of day. The signalstrength measured by each electronic device may also vary depending onthe make and model of the electronic device and radio being employed. Inembodiments, it may be preferable to collect data points for eachelectronic device that is in use within the store and maintain thosedata points within a database for later use by the zone tracking system.Further, whenever the environment changes, such as by moving orreplacing access points or by adding or removing objects such as shelvesor tables, the fingerprint data may become obsolete and is preferablyrecollected to ensure accurate tracking of the zones within the storeover time. This may be of particular importance if the store layoutchanges and/or new electronic devices may be introduced to the system.

In embodiments, the RF fingerprinting database utilized in the zonetracking system and method may require a long period of time toconsistently map the coordinates from the RF fingerprint. Further, theRF fingerprinting database may link those coordinates to zones withinthe store because a threshold of data may need to be collected to ensureconsistency in zone tracking However, once there is sufficient data, thezone tracking system may continuously predict the location of anelectronic device within the store and may deliver the right offers.

Embodiments of the present invention provide for a zone tracking selfhealing feature that may utilize a combination of a retailer-providedplanogram and consumer scan data to improve the zone tracking signalstrength map. Utilizing the consumer scan data and the signal at thetime of scanning, the system may update its signal strength map as wellas its UPC-to-zone mapping. To capture UPC-to-zone signal strength data,the electronic device may report access point signal strength to thelocation-tracking server. The location-tracking server may record thelast signal strength with data/time for that particular electronicdevice. Thereafter, the consumer may scan an item and the electronicdevice may archive the last signal strength data with the UPC of theconsumer scan data.

The zone tracking system and method may allow electronic devices to betracked and located within a zone of the store in as little as fiveseconds of the electronic device entering a specified location. The zonetracking system and method may not require any hardware or operatingsystem modifications to the electronic devices that may already beplaced within a given store. Moreover, implementation of the zonetracking system and method may not impact the existing retailermerchandising space and may not interfere with existing infrastructureof a store, such as wireless or wired networks and lighting. In anembodiment, the electronic device utilized according to the presentinvention may be MC17 manufactured by Symbol Technologies.

The zone tracking system and method may provide an additional, uniquetarget to trigger the display of ads and offers within a store. Thestore preferably may deliver offers to consumers at more relevantmoments, driving redemption of such offers. The zone tracking system andmethod preferably enables the electronic device to trigger delivery ofads to a consumer based on the consumer's in-store movements in additionto consumer-initiated events (scanning or pressing a button). Consumersappreciate the zone tracking system because it allows consumers to savemoney as well as save time. From a consumer's perspective, the zonetracking system and method according to embodiments of the presentinvention preferably improves the money-saving proposition by informingthe consumer of more offers at relevant moments than event-driven offerviewing alone. Use of zone tracking-driven offers can inform consumersof offers that may not otherwise trigger based upon purchasescontemplated during a store visit. Without the zone tracking system andmethod according to embodiments of the present invention, these offers,while relevant, would not display to the consumer as near the moment ofdecision as may be desired by the store.

The media targeting system 600 may include a Media request traitinclusion functionality that may allow real-time product campaigns to betargeted to a consumer by specific consumer traits. In practice, themedia targeting system 600 may assign consumers to behavior groups, ortraits. The media targeting system 600 calculates these traits inreal-time based upon events, past behavior, and combinations thereof.The system 600 uses a procedural logic rules engine 638 containing if,and, or, in, syntax to match consumer data to specific criteria. Inresponse to requests for media data, the media targeting system 600calculates the traits for a particular consumer and assigns the consumerto zero or more of these traits on the fly. This includes adding andremoving already assigned traits from a consumer. The assignment oftraits to consumers enables targeting media, such as ads and offers, toconsumers based upon behaviors that have occurred before and during aparticular session with the media targeting system 600.

In an aspect, the consumer traits may be defined as a function of aconsumer's behavior. The consumer traits may be passed to the mediacoordination system 604 with each real-time media request. As discussedin the previous paragraphs, a consumer may be targeted according to theprevious visits of the consumer, last item scanned, location in a store,fewer visits to a store, low total spend, high total spend, no longerpurchasing an item, recent purchase in a category, high margin shopping,residence in a zip code, an upcoming birthday, response to scanned QRCode, shopping list generation and implementation, or any otherreal-time behavior providing the media targeting system 600 context totarget media. The present embodiment of the scan-and-bag facility 1000and media delivery service platform 620 may provide a functionality totarget real-time media based on any consumer attribute, such as anybeyond in-store location and last-item scanned. The consumer's traitsmay act as a variable for media requests and a parameter that areal-time campaign may use for targeting purposes.

Examples of Traits include: Historical Dogfood Buyer—people whopurchased dogfood in the past 6 months; Family Shop—people who buy CocoaPuffs on this trip; Quick Trippers—people who purchase Milk as the firstitem on their trip; Organic Buyers—people who've purchased organicproducts in the past 6 months; Lapsed Users—people who've purchased theproducts in the past, but not in the past 3 months; and the like. Thenumber of potential traits are limitless, however four behaviors may becalculated in most cases: (1) what you've purchased in the past, (2)what you just bought, (3) what's in your cart this trip, and (4) whatLocations you've passed in the store. In summary, the media targetingsystem 600 has the ability to calculate and assign traits on the fly inreal-time using a rules engine during the consumer's shopping trip.

FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of a method for providing Mediarequest trait inclusion functionality. A consumer 1300 may have accessto the scan-and-bag solution 1308 through which the consumer may send amedia request to media coordination system 1302, 624. Trait definitions1304 may be provided that may relate to a particular item and a type ofpromotion. The type of promotion may include a trait of a consumer thatmay relate to an offer to sell a product C. In an aspect, the traitdefinitions 1304 may be pre-defined. In another aspect, the traitdefinitions 1304 may be updated according to the behavior of a consumerduring a visit. The behavior of the consumer 1300 may relate to aparticular Trait 1 amongst the trait definitions 1304. Trait 1 may becoupled to a particular type of promotion such as a discount for theProduct C that may in turn be provided to the consumer 1300 by the mediacoordination system 1302, 624. For example, a consumer may buy three ormore yogurt products, such a behavior may relate to a trait called“Yogurt Lover”. It may be defined that the trait “Yogurt Lover” may beinterested in information regarding various yogurt products available.Therefore, the media coordination system 1302, 624 may sendadvertisements regarding various yogurt products available in a retailstore. The consumer traits may be stored in a data repository system ormay be a part of the media coordination system 1302, 624.

Further, the media coordination system 1302, 624 may be an ad server. Inan embodiment, the consumer traits may be included at the time ofrequest for real-time media from the media coordination system 1302,624. Further, one or more traits matched to the profile of a consumermay be included on each media request. For example, the consumer 1300may scan a potato chips packet during a current trip. The consumer 1300may match to two traits such as Scroller & Redeemer or any other trait.A request regarding the potato chips packet may be sent to the mediacoordination system 1302, 624. The request may be in the form of:

-   UPC=999111999-   Zone=Chips-   Traits=Scroller, Redeemer    Upon receiving the request, the media coordination system 1302, 624    may check for real-time media matches that may require “scroller” or    “redeemer” traits. Any matching result may then be sent to the    consumer 1300.

In an embodiment, a consumer's in-store behavior during a trip may becompared to the existing trait definitions. In case, the consumer'sbehavior matches a trait definition 1304, the consumer may be coupledwith that trait for the current trip. For example, a consumer that mayscroll through a plurality of offers at any point during a trip maymatch the definition of a trait called “Scroller” that may be defined asa consumer that scrolls through at least five offers at any point duringa trip. As soon as the consumer scrolls through five offers, all of thesubsequent media requests made by the consumer for that trip may includethe Scroller trait.

In another embodiment, a consumer's in-store behavior during a pluralityof previous trips to a retail shop may be compared to the existing traitdefinitions 1304. In case, the consumer's behavior in the previous tripsmatches a trait definition 1304, the consumer may be coupled with thattrait for any future trip. For example, a trait called “Yogurt Lover”may be defined as any consumer who purchases three or more yogurtproducts on three or more trips within one month. A consumer 1300 maypurchase three or more yogurts on each of the last 3 visits, sayFebruary 2nd, February 8th and February 19th. Hence, the consumer 1300may be associated with the trait “Yogurt Lover” and for any next tripthe media requests for the consumer may include the Yogurt Lover trait.

In an embodiment, the present invention may provide a system that mayenable updating the trait definitions. The system may determine thebehavior of a consumer that may trigger the assignment of a particulartrait to a particular consumer. In an embodiment, the consumer behaviorthat may be taken into consideration for updating the trait definitionsmay be the behavior during a trip in which the consumer uses thescan-and-bag solution 1308. For example, the consumer 1300 uses thescan-and-bag solution 1308 on February 16th but does not use it onFebruary 18th. Then only the trip history or consumer behavior from thetrip on February 16th may be used for updating the trait definition.

In an embodiment, the consumer traits may be defined by the behavior ofa consumer in utilizing the shop-and-bag feature. For example, theconsumer traits may be defined by whether a user scrolls, does notscroll, redeems offers they have seen, total basket size, and the like.

In an embodiment, the consumer traits may be defined by utilizingspecific purchase behavior of the consumer. For example, the traits of aconsumer may be defined by the items/categories a consumer has scanned,such as “Ice cream” or “Eggs” may be used to define a trait.

In an embodiment, the trait definitions may be updated without updatingthe entire software. In another embodiment, the trait definitions may beupdate-able outside the purview of regular software release cycle. Forexample, the “Scroller” trait may be defined as a user who hits thescroll button twice during a trip. This change would be propagated tothe field without requiring a separate software release.

Further, the traits associated with a consumer may apply to the consumeracross multiple trips and multiple stores. For example, a consumerassociated with the trait “Scroller” may remain associated with thetrait for any future trip. In an embodiment, a trait assigned to aconsumer for a retail shop may be applicable on future trips by theconsumer in the same retail store. For example, the consumer 1300 may beassigned the “Yogurt Lover” trait on February 19th while shopping inStore 20. When the consumer 1300 shops again in Store 20 on February23rd, the trait associated with the consumer 1300 may remain “YogurtLover”.

In an embodiment, a trait assigned to a consumer may be applicable onall future trips in any store in the same banner. For example, theconsumer may be assigned the “Yogurt Lover” trait on February 19th whileshopping in Store 20. The consumer may still be assigned the YogurtLover trait while shopping in Store 17 on February 27th.

Further, the consumer trait definitions may expire on a preset date incase persistence across multiple trips is available. For example, theconsumer 1300 may be assigned the “Yogurt Lover” trait on February 19thand that trait may be set to persist for 5 weeks. If the consumer doesnot buy any more yogurt, then on April 20th the consumer 1300 may not beassigned the “Yogurt Lover” trait.

In embodiments, the scan-and-bag solution 1308 of the present disclosuremay enable receiving information from an external source and assigningspecific traits to specific user IDs. The traits may be assigned toconsumers based on information that may be external to in-store behaviorof the consumers. In an embodiment, External Traits may only be updateddaily at a store level.

FIG. 14 depicts integration of past purchase behavior of a consumer withthe real time purchase attributes that may provide a functionality tooffer related media to the in-store consumer. In an embodiment, an itemmay be described with a related Universal Product Code 1400 (UPC), aPast Purchase History Data Repository 1404, Business Rules DataRepository 1408, a repository 1402 that may store a plurality ofDiscounts, coupons, ads or offers to sell, and the like. In anembodiment, a consumer may scan an item to be purchased by using ahandheld device, such as a mobile phone or the like. The item to bepurchased may have an associated Universal Product Code 1400 that may bescanned by the handheld device. The scanned Universal Product Code 1400may then be stored in the Past Purchase History Data Repository 1404 forfuture use. The Business Rules Data Repository 1408 stores a pluralityof Business rules that may be defined by a retailer or may be pre-set.The repository 1402 may store a plurality of Discounts, coupons, ads oroffers to sell, and the like that may be provided to the consumer inreal time while the consumer is shopping.

The method as described by the present embodiment may enable selectingand providing at least one of the discounts, coupons, and ads from therepository 1402 to the consumer on a channel 1410. The discount, couponor ad may be selected in accordance with the Universal Product Code(UPC) 1400 of the item scanned, past purchase history stored in the DataRepository 1404, and Business Rules stored in the Business Rules DataRepository 1408. The channel 1410 may be a direct mail or an Email, SMSor MMS on a mobile phone of the consumer, a web link, a coupon providedby an in-store printer, and the like. In an aspect, to provide adiscount, coupon or ad to an in-store consumer, the channel 1410 may bean SMS or MMS on a personal mobile phone or a coupon printed by anin-store Catalina printer. A consumer may scan a bottle of cola. Therelated UPC of the cola bottle may be sent to the Past Purchase HistoryData Repository 1404 for future use. The retailer may have defined a setof rules stored in Business Rules Data Repository 1408 for the presentUPC. The method of the present invention may enable the retailer toprovide the ad to the consumer for a product that may be related to thepresent UPC such as an ad of a packet of Potato chips as the consumermay likely buy the same in accordance with the related purchase historystored in the Data Repository 1404. The method may also determine thebest channel to provide the advertisement, offer, and the like to theconsumer.

The present invention may enable associating the consumer traits with aplurality of attributes besides in-store behavior. The present inventionmay allow delivering media information based on a plurality of criteriasuch as segmentation from retailer CRM systems or whether a consumer isparticipating in a particular promotional program. In an embodiment, thepresent invention may also be helpful in addition of a media serviceslayer to an existing Product Support Service (PSS) and may also enablecalculating and assigning a plurality of traits in an off-line mode.

In an embodiment, the present invention may enable receiving informationor traits from an external source and may then assign specific traits toa specific userID. The present invention may further enable matching thespecific traits defined centrally with an in-store user. The traitsexported from an external source may only be updated daily at the storelevel.

In an embodiment, the present invention may provide a functionality thatmay enable receiving a set of userIDs and corresponding traits for thoseuser ids. Such traits may then be added to existing trait definitions orin-store trait definitions for the users corresponding to the user ids.The functionality provided by the present invention may enable receivinga list of the userIDs and related trait definitions. A new traitdefinition may be created for a special program initiated by a retailerfor example a new season's sale. The new trait created for the newseason's sale may then be added to the set of traits originally assignedto each consumer. For example, if a consumer originally had“DiaperBuyer” and “OrganicLover” traits assigned before the new season'ssale then upon the new season's sale the consumer may have three traits:“DiaperBuyer”, “OrganicLover” and “new season's sale shopper”.

In an embodiment, the newly added traits may include same expirationrules as the in-store trait definitions. For example, a retailer may setan expiration of 2 months for a new season's sale. Therefore, at the endof the two months the “new season's sale shopper” trait definition mayend, that is, the user may no longer be associated with the newlycreated trait definition. Accordingly, the retailer may have to providean update for the “new season's sale shopper” trait definition to bereassigned to a consumer it wants to target.

In an embodiment, the retailer may centrally assign the new traits to aconsumer or a subset of consumers. The retailer may centrally assigntraits for a subset of the total user base. For example, the retailermay assign a trait to its top 100 organic buyers. Accordingly, the“Organic100” trait may be assigned to only those 100 users and all ofthe other users may remain unchanged.

In an embodiment, the functionality provided by the present inventionmay automatically update the list of users or user ids that may becentrally stored by a retailer. For example, the retailer may maintain alist of the userIDs and the related trait definitions that may includethe “new season's sale shopper” trait definition that may expire after aperiod of time. After some time the retailer may add a new list ofuserIDs that may include a few userIDs present on the previous list anda plurality of new userIDs. In such a case, new trait definitions may beassigned to the new userIDs and the userIDs present on the previous listmay remain associated with their existing trait definitions includingthe “new season's sale shopper” trait definition. The userIDs notpresent on the second version of the list but only on the first list mayretain their existing trait definitions. The trait definitions nowassigned to all the userIDs may expire at the end of the pre-fixed timeperiod.

In embodiments, the present disclosure provides aMobile-Initiated-Payment (MIP) facility that may allow a consumer to usea mobile device, such as an iPhone, to carry out transactions at a Pointof Sale (POS) terminal in a retail environment, using a tender such asan Automated Clearing House (ACH), gift card, a credit card, and thelike. The MIP facility may or may not be associated with the mediadelivery services platform 620. The tender may be registered directlywith a retailer. For example, a shopping loyalty card may be linked tothe consumer's checking account, credit card, debit card, or the like.At checkout, when the loyalty card is scanned and the consumer enterstheir secure payment password, payment is tendered. In the presentdisclosure, the consumer's mobile device may take the place of theloyalty card scan. Instead, a consumer may indicate that they wish touse mobile initiated payments from their mobile device. The consumer mayutilize a mobile shopping and payment application, such as thescan-and-bag facility 1000, on the mobile device 1018 to enable themobile device 1018 to drive a mobile initiated payment. The consumer mayindicate in the mobile shopping and payment application that they havepreviously linked their shopping loyalty card to a tender. The consumermay then link the mobile number associated with the mobile device withthe secure payment password. The application may send an activationmessage to the phone, such as by SMS, MMS, email, or the like. Theconsumer may then either click the link or enter the activation codereceived in the mobile shopping and payment application. Anytime aconsumer wishes to use mobile-initiated payments on another mobiledevice, they need only to cause the mobile shopping and paymentapplication to send the activation message to that mobile device.

Mobile initiated payment may occur by at least one of two ways. Theconsumer may initiate payment with the mobile shopping and paymentapplication but enter their secure payment PIN at the POS terminal.Alternatively, The consumer may initiate payment with the mobileshopping and payment application and enters the secure payment passwordon the mobile device.

In general, the basic steps for mobile-initiated payment include:registering an ACH, debit or credit card payment with password and anenabled mobile phone number at a given retailer keyed to a consumer'sloyalty card stored at a 3^(rd) party payment registry, wherein theconsumer also registers their loyalty card with the mobile shopping andpayment application. A consumer turns on the mobile shopping and paymentapplication when entering a store and scans items (UPCs) with theapplication, each scan causing the in-store server to communicate withthe POS. When ready, the consumer presses a Checkout button on theapplication or scans a barcode in the store to initiate checkout. Themobile shopping and payment application checks to see if the paymenttype is valid. If yes, the application prompts the consumer for MIP andthen for their secure payment password to authenticate them and confirmthe correct mobile phone number. If valid, the in-store server requestsa one-time, short-time-to-live PIN from the payment registry. Oncereceived, the in-store server pushes the order into the POS and drivesit to tender the order using the loyalty card and pin as authentication.Upon successful tender, the application e-mails the consumer theirreceipt on the mobile device and prompts them to receive an e-mail copyof it. The process enables the mobile device with the mobile shoppingand payment application to initiate a payment at a given retailer. Thisis different than pure mobile payments in that the mobile device is notused as the payment, but rather drives the process eliminating the needfor the consumer to perform any action at a POS register.

Referring to FIG. 10A a Mobile-Initiated-Payment (MIP) facility 1000Afor a retail environment is illustrated. The MIP facility 1000A mayinclude an in-store server 1010 that may be connected to a Point of Sale(POS) terminal 1012 in a retail store. The in-store server 1010 mayenable a consumer 1014 to scan items in aisles of the retail store. Theconsumer 1014 may scan the items through a handheld device such as asmartphone 1018. In embodiments, the smartphone 1018 may include ascrambling PIN pad that may be displayed on the smartphone 1018 to allowthe consumer 1014 to enter a secure payment PIN. In an embodiment, theconsumer 1014 may enter PINs using other electronic devices such as aPOS payment device 1020 that may be connected to the POS terminal 1012.Further, the payment procedure followed by the MIP facility 1000A may becompliant to PCI Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), thereby facilitatingsafe handling of information regarding the tenders.

In an embodiment, the consumer 1014 may access and communicate with thein-store server 1010 using a mobile application of the MIP facility1000A installed onto the smartphone 1018 of the consumer 1014. Further,the POS terminal 1012 may be an interface that may be accessible by thepersons of the retail store. The POS terminal 1012 may include an LCDscreen to display a list of products, prices, quantity, and the like.The POS terminal 1012 may include a general computer or may be a specialcheckout system.

In an embodiment, the consumer 1014 may request for enabling the MIPfacility 1000A on the smartphone 1018 through the mobile applicationinstalled on the mobile device 1018. For example, an iPhone may beprovided with a barcode scanning feature that may enable consumers toscan items from the store.

Further, the MIP facility 1000A may include a Paystation 1024 that mayenable the consumer 1014 to conduct online payments through a creditcard. The Paystation 1024 may be communicating with the in-store server1010, the POS terminal 1012, and a payment server 1028. The paymentserver 1028 may store the tenders, the mobile numbers, the device IDs,and the like of various consumers. Further, the in-store server 1010 maybe in communication with the payment server 1028.

The Paystation 1024 may possess a lockdown connection with the POSterminal 1012 as the Paystation 1024 may communicate with the POSterminal 1012 in real time. The lockdown connection may facilitate ahigh level of security between the POS terminal 1012 and the Paystation1024. Accordingly, the Paystation 1024 may accept commands from trustedsources to securely transmit information to the POS terminal 1012.Further, at the Paystation 1024, the consumer 1014 may be able to viewthe list of items, cost of the items, and may also be able to view thetotal amount that may be payable. Additionally, the in-store server 1010may possess lockdown connectivity with the Paystation 1024. The consumer1014 may interact with the Paystation 1024 via the in-store server 1010using the mobile application installed on the mobile device 1018 of theconsumer 1014. Further, the Paystation 1024 may be provided with uniquelaminated barcodes that may be used to initiate the payment process.

The mobile-initiated payment architecture may differ depending onwhether or not the mobile device being used for mobile payment is PCIDSS compliant. As mentioned herein, the MIP facility 1000A may be PCIDSS compliant while handling the PIN associated with the secure paymentfacility 1022, however, because the iPhone is not PCI compliant,additional technology is required to hide the PINs. Thus, the processmay follow a flow including the consumer initiates payment with theapplication but enters their secure payment pin on the POS paymentdevice 1020. In another flow, the user initiates payment with theapplication and enters the secure payment pin on the mobile device. Itshould be understood that other process flows may be possible utilizingthe application.

In use, the consumer 1014 may turn on the mobile application installedon the mobile device 1018 while entering a retail store. The consumer1014 may scan codes such as Universal Product Codes (UPCs) of items ofinterest using the mobile application. Every scan may allow the in-storeserver 1010 to communicate with the POS terminal 1012. When the consumer1014 has selected all items of interest, the consumer 1014 may press acheckout button provided by the mobile application and displayed on themobile device 1018. Alternatively, the consumer 1014 may scan a barcode1030 for initiating a checkout process and identifying the checkoutregister. Thereafter, the mobile application of the mobile device 1018may transmit a registration number of the mobile device 1018 to thein-store server 1010. The in-store server 1010 may further send arequest to the payment server 1028 for checking whether the consumer1014 has been enrolled for making payments through the mobile device.

In an embodiment, the consumer 1014 may be authorized by the paymentserver 1028 for making a payment through the smartphone 1018. In anotherembodiment, the payment server 1028 may not authorize the consumer 1014for making mobile payments. In this case, the in-store server 1010 maysend suspension orders to a workstation 1032 of the registration numberof the smartphone 1018 sent by the consumer 1014. Further, theworkstation 1032 may confirm the suspension orders of the registrationnumber and may send an alert to the POS terminal 1012 through a node1034.

In embodiments, the consumer 1014 not authorized by the payment server1028, may send information such as mobile number, device ID, and thelike to the in-store server 1010. The in-store server 1010 may save theinformation and may provide a registration number to the consumer 1014.

Further, when the consumer 1014 is authorized by the payment server1028, the mobile application may initiate a checkout command to thePaystation 1024. Based on the request, the Paystation 1024 may promptthe POS terminal 1012 to ask for a PIN for accessing the secure paymentfacility 1022. The PIN may be provided to the consumer 1014 onregistration of the mobile device 1018, mobile number, and tenderinformation with the MIP facility 1000A. If the system determines thatthe items in the basket require no additional attention from in-storepersonnel (e.g. determining an age for an alcohol or nicotine purchase,requiring an audit either randomly or because of a specific securityflag), the consumer 1014 may be prompted to enter the PIN through thePOS payment device 1020. Once the PIN has been provided by the consumer1014, the secure payment facility 1022 may deduct the amount payable bythe consumer 1014 from the tender. Thereafter, the in-store server 1010may send a receipt of the payment to the Paystation 1024. The Paystation1024 may display the receipt to the mobile device 1018 of the consumer1014. The consumer 1014 may then be prompted to send the receipt via ane-mail address of the consumer 1014.

In another embodiment, when the consumer 1014 is authorized by thepayment server 1028, a dynamic pinpad may be sent to the mobile device108 by the in-store server 1010. The consumer 1014 may enter the PIN onthe scrambling PIN pad of the smartphone 1018. The consumer 1014 maysend the PIN to the Paystation 1024 through the in-store server 1010,such as by using a barcode Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (DES) key.The 3DES key may encrypt the PIN for ensuring secure transmission of thePIN to the Paystation 1024. The Paystation 1024 may in turn decrypt thereceived PIN using Derived Unique Key Per Transaction (DUKPT) scheme ofcryptography.

In embodiments, the PIN pad of the mobile device 1018 may utilize anOAuth authentication mechanism for interacting with protected data.Further, the Paystation 1024 may send the decrypted PIN to the POSterminal 1012. Once the PIN has been provided by the consumer 1014, thesecure payment facility 1022 may deduct the amount payable by theconsumer 1014 from the tender. Thereafter, the receipt of the paymentgenerated by the in-store server 1010 may be displayed on the mobiledevice 1018. The consumer 1014 may then be prompted to send the receiptvia an e-mail address of the consumer 1014.

In embodiments, the scanning done by the mobile device 1018 may beprocessed by the POS terminal 1012 for ensuring accurate pricing,inventory, accounting, and the like.

In embodiments where the mobile device has a near field communication(NFC) chip, direct, contactless payments from the device itself withoutuse of the POS may be possible.

In embodiments, the present invention may include a system in which auser may control the log-in, transaction, and log-out process withrespect to a merchant. The user's presence at the merchant's facilitymay trigger the log-in process, such that the merchant's systems becomeaware of the user's presence. Once the user may be registered with themerchant, information and services become available to the user withoutfurther action required by the user. Transactions may be facilitated,specials may be brought to the user's attention, and personal shoppingmay become available while the user remains in the facility. Uponleaving the facility, or after a certain elapsed time with a transactionbeing consummated, the user may be logged-out of the system.

FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment 1500 of the invention when used withrespect to a facility, such as facility 1502. When a user 1504 arrivesat the facility 1502, the user 1504 may be detected, and may be loggedinto the facility 1502. The log-in may be controlled by the user 1504 byusing a mobile device, such as cell phone 1508, to call a log-in number,or by having a magnetic (or near-field device) strip that may be placedin contact with (or in proximity to) a sensor 1510. In some situations,the log-in may be accomplished without action being taken by the user1504, for example, by knowing the geographical position of the user1504, which may be broadcast from the user's wireless device along withthe identity of the user 1504. The wireless device may know its locationby GPS or otherwise. Bluetooth, NFC, LBS, E911, or IVR technology may beused to make the user's presence known inside facility 1502.

Alternatively, the user's wireless device may periodically emit a codeto identify a user such that when the user may be in proximity of thefacility 1502, the user may be logged-in. Using such a system, when auser, such as user 1512, may drive past the facility 1504 along street1514, the user 1512 may be temporarily logged-in to the facility 1502such that specials or other information, as will be discussedhereinafter, may be communicated to the user 1512.

For example, after a previous visit, if a user enters into a userprofile (such as from a home PC) the user may indicate that he/shewanted to purchase an item at a given price point. In such a situation,when the user is driving by (or otherwise logged-in), the user mayreceive a reminder that he/she wanted to buy item X and that the itemmay be available at the desired price. A user may also visit amerchant's website to arrange an item list to identify what he/she maywant to purchase at the merchant's store. Thereafter, the list may beavailable to the user's cell phone, for example, for use when the usermay be near or enters the merchant's facility. In another example, theuser 1504 may walk into the facility 1502 and the sensor 1510 may signalhis/her presence within the facility 1502.

Referring to FIG. 16, a process 1600 of illustrating log-in,transaction, and log-out of the a user is illustrated in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention. At step 1602, presence of theuser 1504 may be detected. This detection may enable identification ofthe user. Thereafter, at step 1608, the user's profile may be retrieved,for example from a memory. At this time a timer may be set. In anembodiment, the identification process may be automatic or may requireparticipation such as a password from the user. The password may beimportant if credit or “quick” payment options are available while theuser is in the facility.

Further, at step 1610, the user profile accessed may contain informationabout the user including, but not limited to: previous purchases,purchase characteristics, user characteristics, user preferences,receipts, discounts, payment information, identification information,monetary balances, and the like.

Once the user's profile is retrieved, steps 1620 and 1622 may be used bythe facility to communicate with the user. For example, the facility maynotify the user of specials, available credit, amount of money remainingon gift cards, coupons, previous on-hold or wish list items. At thispoint, based on the user's location in the facility, the user may learnof special offers via SMS/MMS, NFC, Bluetooth, Media, or IVR.Alternatively, the user may obtain this information by receiving ane-mail on his/her PDA or other handheld device, or the user may accessthe information through Internet connectivity via his/her cellular phoneor handheld device. The user may also view his/her item or shoppinglist, and based on the user's location, the list may be sorted to placeitems nearest in proximity to the user at the top of the list.

In embodiments, at step 1612 a notification may be sent to a facilityemployee 1518 and the facility employee may be provided with access tothe user's profile, thereby allowing the facility employee to viewpertinent information pertaining to the user. This information may beviewed, for example, using a wireless device, such as device 1520 (FIG.15) in the possession of the facility employee. The information suppliedto the facility employee may be any information, such as sizes, lastpurchases, birthdays, preferences, names of family members, and anyother information stored in the user's profile. For security purposes,the system may limit the amount of access the facility employee may havein viewing and modifying the user's profile.

At step 1614, the facility employee may be provided with an option toview and modify the user's profile. Further, at step 1618, the facilityemployee may also have the option of initiating a transaction with theuser. For example, the facility employee may send a list of items alongwith pricing and availability to the user's wireless device forconsideration. Upon receipt of this list, at step 1628, the user mayconduct the suggested transaction by, for example, purchasing the itemsor storing them in the user profile's wish list.

At step 1622, the user may be provided with a plurality of transactionaloptions while in the facility. For example, if the user wishes todeactivate a wireless device while in the store, at step 1624, the usermay select the deactivation option and the wireless device may belogged-out, at step 1634. Further, if the user does not desire tointeract with a central server of the facility, the user may deactivatehis/her wireless device accordingly.

At step 1640, a “quick transaction” may be set up when the wirelessdevice may be detected. The “Quick transaction” may be a process thatmay allow the user to authorize payment for merchandise (or services)using the wireless device. Once the “quick transaction” may be set up,steps 1622 and 1624 may allow the user to select a purchase option fromthe list of transactional options, thereby authorizing payment for anitem from the facility using the wireless device. If desired, an optionfrom the list of transactional options may allow the user to select amedium from which the user may receive the purchase receipt. Forexample, the user may choose to have the receipt printed in thefacility, sent to an e-mail account, or stored in his/her user profile.

Further, at step 1624, as the user selects a transactional option, thetransaction may be conducted, at step 1628. Further, at step 1630, thetransaction may be recorded in the user profile. It should be noted thatthe transaction may be recorded in other databases as well, such asinventory tracking systems, marketing and promotion systems, and anyother system which may benefit from tracking transactions. After thetransaction is completed, the timer may reset.

At step 1638, the user may be allowed to access and modify his/her userprofile using the wireless device. For example, if while the user isshopping in the facility he/she sees something desired but he/she cannotpurchase, the user may access his/her user profile and add the desireditem to a wish list. In an embodiment, the user may input a price pointat which he/she may be willing to make the purchase, so when the priceof the item is lowered to the desired purchase price, the user may benotified at step 1620.

As the user profile may contain sensitive information, it is importantto include security features. At step 1630, a timer may be utilizedwhich may determine if a sufficient amount of time has passed since thelast transaction. If it has, then it may be safe to assume the user hasleft the facility. Specifically, once the user may be identified at step1604, a timer may be set. At step 1632, the system may include apre-determined time limit, for example twenty minutes, such that whenthe time limit is exceeded the system may assume that the user has leftthe facility and may log-out the wireless device. However, if the userconducts a transaction before the time limit is exceeded, the timer maybe reset, at step 1628. Accordingly, the user may have another period oftime to conduct another transaction before the system may assume thathe/she has left the facility. This step may be particularly importantfor wireless devices which may be set up with “quick transaction” toprevent unauthorized transactions.

In embodiments, when the user leaves the range of the facility's sensor,the system may assume that the user has left the facility and maylog-out the wireless device. This process may be used in conjunctionwith the timer or in place of the timer and may be intended to providefurther security against unauthorized transactions.

It should be evident to a person skilled in the art that any number ofmethods may be used to log the wireless device out of the system,thereby ensuring the device's security. For example, the user profilemay be set up such that when a triggering event occurs, the system maynot allow further transactions. Some examples of triggering events mayinclude but are not limited to: a user selecting a log-off option;improper identification supplied by the user; the passage of time; thedevice leaving the sensor's range; passage of time without a transactionoccurring; exceeding a predetermined number of transactions; exceeding aper transaction spending limit; exceeding a cumulative spending limit;conducting an unapproved transaction; or attempting to conduct atransaction outside the transactional options, or conductingtransactions detectable by fraud detection systems that are deemedinappropriate for this user based on the user's profile and otherinformation.

FIG. 17 shows another embodiment 1700 of a system in which a user 1702with a wireless device, such as cellular telephone 1704 may approach apodium 1708 of a restaurant where a host 1710 may be positioned. In theembodiment shown, the host 1710 may enter an identification number (suchas the calling number) of the wireless device 1704 into a controller1712 in a number of ways. The identification number may be spoken or itmay be Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Near-Field (NF)communication transferred via the wireless device 1704 via a receivingdevice 1714.

In one embodiment, a control number may be provided to the host 1710 bythe controller 1712. Alternatively, the host 1710 may provide thecontrol number for use by the controller 1712. This control number maythen be stored in a memory in association with the callingidentification number of the user's wireless device 1704.

When a table for the user 1702 becomes available, the host 1710 mayinput the control number of the user 1702 into the controller 1712 whichmay then establish a communication link via either the public switchnetwork, a wireless communication network, or a pager network (notshown) to the wireless device 1704. The wireless device 1704 may thenprovide a signal or a message to the user 1702 indicating theavailability of the table. In an embodiment, this message may alsoprovide other information pertaining to the table, such as its location,and the like.

While the user 1702 may be waiting for a table, messages may be sent tothe wireless device 1704 from the business establishment. These messagesmay be, for example, specials of the day, menus, coupons for specialpricing, music or other entertainment. One or more of these messages maybe a bidirectional communication. For example, a message may include,“We are featuring a certain drink or hors d'oeuvre today. The price is$4.95. Do you wish to order?” The user 1702 may then choose to answer“yes,” “no” or ignore the message. Any reply message may be communicatedover a bidirectional link back through the network to the controller1712 which may then take the necessary action to insure that the requestof the user 1702 is performed.

While the system may be shown in conjunction with a restaurant setting,any merchandise (or service) that a user is waiting for can be thesubject of the system. FIG. 18 shows, for example, in an embodiment asystem 1800 may include a pharmacy 1802. The pharmacy 1802 may include adrive-up window 1804. A user 1808 may be in his/her vehicle waiting forservice. The user 1808 may have a wireless device 1810 which maycommunicate via RFID or NF communication via an input device 1812 toregister an identification number, such as the calling number of thewireless device 1810. Alternatively, the calling number may beregistered verbally with a person located at the pharmacy 1802, or thecalling number may be registered from a remotely located user by havingthat user call in and verbally present the calling number. Inembodiments, caller ID or another device may provide the identificationof the wireless device 1810 of a remote user.

In operation, using the system 1800, a prescription (Rx) or othermerchandise desired from the pharmacy 1802 would be entered into acontroller 1814 as well as into a normal pharmaceutical system (notshown) of the pharmacy 1802. A physician may call the Rx in to thepharmacy 1802 or remotely type the Rx into the controller 1814 from thephysician's office or other location. Further, attached to theprescription may be the user identification number. The controller 1814may operate in conjunction with the pharmacy 1802, to cross-link theuser identification, as obtained from the doctor, with the user'scalling identification number and with a code number (if desired). Analternate method of delivering a Rx to the pharmacy 1802 may be byphysically hand carrying the Rx to an attendant, who may then registerthe user's calling identification in association with a code number.

In yet another method of delivering the Rx to the pharmacy 1802, theprocess 1600 (FIG. 16) may be. In that case, the physician may type theRx and any additionally required information into a user's profile usingeither the user's wireless device 1818 (user 1820, FIG. 18) or a remotecomputer (not shown). Thereafter, when the user 1820 comes within rangeof the input device 1812, the detected profile may notify an employee ofthe pharmacy 1802 of the user's presence. The pharmacy's employee maythen access user 1820′s user profile, view/modify the Rx, and may fillthe Rx. In an embodiment, the pharmacy's employee may view the userprofile for other information, such as other prescribed medication ormedical insurance information. Similarly, the pharmacy's employee maymodify the user's profile as explained above at step 1618. For example,if the Rx has a limited number of refills, the pharmacy's employee maymodify the user profile to reflect the number of refills remaining forthe Rx.

The user may then be free to leave the pharmacy 1802 and from time totime messages may be delivered to the user using, for example, the codenumber, with respect to other services available, such as specials,coupons, rebates, etc.

At the time when the Rx becomes available, the code number associatedwith the Rx may be communicated to the controller 1814. In anembodiment, the controller 1814 may include a computer, a memory, amessage store, a voice-to-text device, and a text-to-speech device,operating in association therewith. When the code number of theavailable Rx arrives at the controller 1814, it may retrieve from thememory the user's calling number, such as the calling number of thewireless device 1818 for the user 1820. A proper message may then beselected from the message store for communication via a communicationlink to the wireless device 1818. This communication link may beestablished locally from the pharmacy 1802 or it may be established froma remote system 1822.

In some instances during the filling process of the Rx, the pharmacistmay require additional information about the patient or a clarificationof the patient's birth date or other information. If the information isavailable, for example, in the memory of the controller 1814, then uponinitiation of a request, the information may be provided from thememory. In some situations, the request for additional information maybe sent from the controller 1814 to a user, such as the user 1820, viathe wireless device 1818 on a bidirectional link under control of theassigned control code. The user 1820 may be asked for a birth date, anaddress, or other information. The user 1820 may then communicate theinformation, either using a touch pad or verbally back to thepharmacist. In an embodiment, the verbal communications may be,translated by the voice-to-text device of the controller 1814.

In an embodiment, when the user 1820′s Rx is ready, a communication maybe sent from the message store through the system to the wireless device1818 so that the user 1820 may drive up to the window 1804 to retrievehis/her filled Rx. As the user 1820 is approaching the window 1804, thewireless device 1818 may identify itself, for example, via RFID or NFdetector 1812, and the proper Rx may be ready when the user 1820 arrivesat the window 1804. In an embodiment, when the user 1820 is notifiedthat the Rx (or other merchandise) is available, a price may be includedin the message and the user may be given the opportunity to authorizepayment for the merchandise at that time.

Again, it should be evident to a person skilled in the art that whilethe inventive concepts have been discussed with respect to a pharmacy,any type of establishment may utilize the concepts discussed herein sothat a user can register (or have registered) his/her callingidentification, and when the merchandise is ready, the user may benotified. While the user is waiting for such notification, othermessages may be delivered to the user pertaining to services available,either at the establishment or in conjunction with the desires of theuser.

Now referring to FIG. 19, a process 1900 for registration of a number isdescribed in conjunction with FIGS. 17 and 18, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. At step 1902, signing informationof a user may be determined. Specifically, the step 1902 may determinewhether a user has signed in with a service provider. The serviceprovider may be a restaurant, a pharmacy, or any other type ofcommercial environment where notification of an event is important.Further, at step 1904, it may be determined whether a system already hasa calling phone or pager number of a wireless device that may be used bythe user. If the system does not already have that information, then, atstep 1908, the input of the calling information number may becontrolled. This could be by RFID or NF communication, caller ID, verbalwith a voice-to-text conversion, and the like.

Further, at step 1910, a local control number (LCN) may be assigned tothe phone number. It may be noted that the step 1910 may not benecessary and the system may use the actual phone number or calleridentification number of the wireless device. For ease of discussionherein it will be assumed that an LCN is utilized. The LCN may be storedin association with the phone number at step 1912. This storage may befor example, in a memory of a controller such as the controller 1814under control of a computer. However, any other system, either local tothe physical location of the user or the place of establishment or in aremote system, such as the remote system 1822 may be used.

FIG. 20 shows an embodiment 2000 of a process for receiving messages andnotifications and communicating those messages to a user from time totime. At step 2002, a message control may determine which messages needto be sent at a given time. These messages may be prerecorded andselected by identification number or they may be input into the systemlive by a host, a pharmacist, or any other establishment member.Further, these messages may be converted to speech via a text-to-speechdevice. The messages may contain information including but not limitedto: the availability of a service, product, promotion, discount, specialpricing, or payment option.

At step 2004, it may be determined if it is time to send a message to auser. This determination may be, for example, based on the fact that anRx is filled or that other merchandise or services are available. Thetime of the message may be controlled such that, for example, if an Rxis filled in the middle of the night, the notification may not go outuntil morning. Likewise, the message may be sent immediately followingthe detection of a wireless device within range of a sensor such as thesensor 1510 (FIG. 15).

Further, at step 2008 and step 2010, a message may be generated and/ormay be retrieved from a data store. Thereafter, a link may be set up tothe wireless device at step 2012, under control of the controller 1814(FIG. 18). At step 2014, the message may be sent to the public switchednetwork, internet connection, packed switched network or otherwise, inaccordance with the calling identification number provided during theinitial registration period. At step 2032, it may be inquired whether auser may log-in to the payment system. If yes, at step 2034, the usermay log into the payment system.

At step 2018, it may be determined whether a reply is expected, i.e.,bidirectional communication has been set up. If not, then the originalmessage link may be terminated at step 2020. However, if a reply isexpected, then at step 2022 and step 2024, it may be determined if areply has been generated. If yes, then the reply may be sent, at step2028. Thereafter, at step 2030 the link may be ended. In an embodiment,at step 2024, if a reply is not generated within a certain time a repeatmessage is sent to the user to try to establish a bidirectionalcommunication so as to obtain a reply message at step 2038.

Further, as mentioned in FIG. 1, the present invention may relate tomanagement, enrollment, and redemption aspects of a loyalty programusing a POS terminal, a program management system, and a consumer'smobile device. Embodiments of the invention may allow a consumer to bothpay for a transaction and participate in a loyalty program using asingle payment device at a POS terminal.

In an embodiment, the consumer may use a credit card that may not beassociated with the merchant to pay for goods at the POS terminal. ThePOS terminal may capture swipe data from the credit card. The POSterminal may then transmit transaction information such as the capturedpayment device identification information and a total amount due for thetransaction to the processing platform. In some embodiments, theprocessing platform may be located at a remote location from the POSterminal and one processing platform may communicate with a number ofPOS terminals. The processing platform may search a database such as aprofile database 13 of stored consumer records to locate a consumerrecord associated with the transmitted payment device identificationinformation. In addition to payment device identification information,the consumer record may contain mobile device identification informationand loyalty program data.

In another embodiment, the POS terminal may capture mobile deviceidentification in addition to or in alternative to capturing the paymentdevice identification information discussed above. The system may thenlocate a consumer record based on the mobile device identificationinformation.

Referring to FIG. 21 an embodiment of system 2100 is illustrated foradministering a loyalty program and processing consumer payments fortransactions. The system 2100 may include at least one POS terminal,such as terminal 2102. The POS terminal 2102 may be connected to aprocessing platform 2104 through a communications link, such as link2108. The communications link 2108 may utilize any communicationshardware and methods known in the art capable of transmitting data andthe link 2108 may include phone lines, T1 lines, ISDN lines, or wirelesslinks such as wireless links using the IEEE 802.11 standard. In someembodiments, communications link 2108 may include multiplecommunications system and protocols. For example, in one embodiment, thePOS terminal 2102 may connect over an Ethernet cable to a cable modemthat may then communicate over a fiber-optic cable with a server thatmay then connect over a different fiber optic line to another serverthat then connects over a T1 line to the processing platform 2104.

In embodiments, the processing platform 2104 may be physically locatedin a remote location from the POS terminal 2102. The processing platform2104 may include, for example, a database of consumer records 2110. Theprocessing platform 2104 may administer one or more loyalty programs andmay contain different consumer database 2110 for each loyalty program.Further, the consumer records may include mobile device identificationinformation, payment device identification information, and loyaltyprogram data for a consumer. In some embodiments, the consumer's mobiledevice identification may be a phone number for a mobile phone, and theconsumer's payment device identification may be a credit card number.One consumer record may contain payment device identificationinformation for a plurality of payment devices. In some embodiments, theconsumer database 2110 may only allow a unique mobile deviceidentification to be associated with a single consumer record. Theconsumer database 2110 may be stored on a server using database storagetechniques known to those skilled in the art.

In an embodiment, the processing platform 2104 may include software andhardware to perform additional functionality. The processing platform2104 may, for example, include a payment server 2112 to process paymentsand communicate with the payment processor and a coupon server 2114 togenerate and distribute promotional offers. The processing platform 2104may additionally include a consumer profile engine 2118. The paymentserver 2112, the coupon server 2114, and the consumer profile engine2118 may be implemented in software using any programming techniqueknown to those skilled in the art such as XML, C++, or SQL. The softwarecomponents may be located on a single physical server in someembodiments or may be located on different servers to increase capacityand efficiency as is known in the art.

Further, the processing platform 2104 may connect to a third partypayment processor 2120 through a communications link 2122. Thecommunications link 2122 may be implemented using any communicationstechnique known in the art and may include multiple physical links, asdiscussed above with respect to the link 2108. The third party paymentprocessor 2120 may accept payment device information in any standardformat and may transmit confirmation in any standard format afterprocessing the payment. In this context, payment device information mayinclude minimal information required to identify the payment device,such as a credit card number and expiration date, or could include“swipe data,” which is known to those skilled in the art.

In an embodiment, the processing platform 2104 may connect to theconsumer's mobile device, such as to device 2124 over a communicationslink 2128. The communications link 2128 may include a wirelesscommunications link using a standard wireless communications technique,such as Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, cdma2000, GPRS, or any other wirelessstandard known to those in the art. In an embodiment, the consumer'smobile device 2124 may be a mobile telephone identified by a telephonenumber and capable of receiver SMS messages. In another embodiment, theprocessing platform 2104 may establish temporary communication linkswith a plurality of mobile devices 2124 simultaneously.

FIG. 22 illustrates a POS terminal, such as terminal 2102, which mayinclude a display 2202 that may be capable of displaying messages to amerchant or consumer. The POS terminal 2102 may also include a printer2204 that may be capable of printing out a receipt 2208. The POSterminal 2102 may further include a data entry device, such as akeyboard 2210 and a payment device reader, such as a reader 2212. Inembodiments, the data entry device may be a touch screen integrated withthe display 2202 or any other data entry device known to those skilledin the art. The payment device reader 2212 may, for example, readinformation stored on the magnetic strip of a payment card, such as acredit card or debit card. Further, the payment device reader 2212 mayalso obtain payment information through any other method known in theart, such as, for example, reading an RFID tag or a near-fieldcommunication (NFC).

In embodiments, the POS terminal 2102 may not include the payment devicereader 2212, but may rather accept payment device identificationinformation through a data entry device, such as the keyboard 2210. Insome embodiments, the POS terminal 2102 may also be capable of capturingmobile device identification information in addition and/or as analternative to payment device information. For example, the data entrydevice such as the keyboard 2210 may be used to enter mobile deviceidentification information. In another example, the payment devicereader 2212 may be used to capture mobile device identificationinformation through such methods as RFID, NFC, and/or the like. Itshould be understood that the POS terminal 2102 may accept mobile deviceidentification information in addition to or as an alternative to otherpayment device identification information. Where the mobile device isused by the POS terminal 2102 to effectuate payment, the mobile devicemay function as a payment device and the mobile device identificationinformation may include payment device identification information.

Further, the POS terminal 2102 may also include hardware forcommunicating with a processing platform 2104 over a communications link2108 (FIG. 21), as discussed above. The POS terminal 2102 may alsoinclude a processor 2214 that may be capable of running software writtenin any programming language known to those skilled in the art. Inembodiments, the processor 2214 may be capable of running softwarewritten in a language specifically designed for payment applications,such as SoftPay® by Verifone®. In some embodiments, one or more POSterminals may be a Verifone® Omni® 3750 terminal.

FIGS. 23A, 23B, and 23C may illustrate flow charts showing use of thesystem in an embodiment. In embodiments, the steps may be performedusing the exemplary system of FIG. 21 and the POS terminal 2102 shown inFIG. 22. The steps shown in FIGS. 23A, 23B, and 23C are shown in aparticular order, but as one skilled in the art would understand, thesteps may be performed in other orders and additional (or fewer) stepscan be utilized to achieve the desired result.

As shown in FIG. 23A, at step 2301, payment device identificationinformation may be captured. In an embodiment, the consumer may placehis or her payment device in proximity of a payment device reader 2212(FIG. 22), which may be part of a POS terminal 2102. A merchant may alsotake the payment device in the form of a payment card from the consumerand swipe the card through the payment device reader 2212. The paymentdevice reader 2212 may capture card information stored on a magneticstrip on a payment card and obtain “swipe information” as is well knownin the art.

In an embodiment, the consumer or merchant may enter payment deviceidentification information using a data entry device 2210. In anotherembodiment, the merchant may swipe a payment device and then theconsumer may enter additional payment device information using the dataentry device 2210. In another embodiment, the payment device reader 2212may obtain payment device information using NFC or RFID technologyand/or the like. In these embodiments, the payment device may not be atraditional card, but instead may be any object known to those skilledin the art to contain user identification information. In somesituations, the consumer may simply place the payment device inproximity to the payment device reader 2212 to allow the payment devicereader to capture the payment device identification information. Inanother embodiment, the consumer's mobile device may function as apayment device. That embodiment is discussed in more detail, below.

At step 2302, an amount due for the transaction may be captured. Thestep 2304 may occur before, after, or simultaneous with step 2302. In anembodiment, the merchant may enter an amount due using the data entrydevice 2210. In another embodiment, an amount due may be generated byseparate electronic equipment and transmitted electronically to the POSterminal 2102. A cash register (not shown) may be employed to enteritems ordered and generate an amount due. The cash register may thentransmit that information electronically to the POS terminal 2102. Inanother embodiment, the POS terminal 2102 may include such cash registerfunctionality and may generate an amount due after the merchant orconsumer has entered the items ordered.

At step 2303, the information gathered in steps 2302 and 2304 may betransmitted to the location of a consumer database. In an embodimentshown in FIG. 21, the database 2110 may be located within the processingplatform 2104. Further, the information transmitted may include anamount due and payment device (for example, credit card) information.Additional information such as information on the specific itemspurchased by the consumer, date and time information, the name of themerchant, etc. may be transmitted, if desired. Merchant information maybe important if the consumer database 2110 is co-located on the sameprocessing platform as consumer databases for loyalty programs for othermerchants. In some embodiments, the merchant or consumer may push abutton or enter information into the data entry device 2210 to cause thesystem to transmit the gathered information.

At step 2304, the consumer database 2110 may be searched to locate thetransmitted payment device identification information. The processingplatform 2104 may receive the transmitted information and may identifythe specific consumer database to be searched. This may be done byidentifying the merchant through the transmitted information. Theinformation may then be fed to an engine, such as a consumer profileengine 2118, to conduct a search of the selected consumer database inaccordance with step 2305.

Further, step 2305 may determine if the consumer's payment deviceinformation is located in a consumer record. If so, the system maycontinue processing with step 2310. If the payment device information isnot located, the system may continue with step 2320, in which a messagemay be transmitted to the POS terminal 2102 indicating that the paymentidentification information was not located and may allow the POSterminal 2102 to prompt the consumer to join the merchant's loyaltyprogram. In some embodiments, the merchant may not wish to prompt itsconsumers to sign up for the loyalty program if they are not already amember, and therefore may not wish to slow down the payment process byperforming step 2320 et seq. In this case, the system may continueprocessing with step 2312 when the consumer's payment identificationinformation is not located.

At step 2310, the located consumer record may be updated to record thecurrent transaction and searched for applicable loyalty rewards. Couponserver 2114 (FIG. 21) may receive information about the currenttransaction as well as information about previous transactions containedin the consumer record and may determine if the consumer is eligible forany loyalty rewards. If the consumer is eligible for a reward, thesystem may enter that reward in the consumer record. Such reward may bebased on previous consumer activity, current purchase items, consumerprofile information, or any other criteria. A reward may also be enteredinto the consumer's account as a result of the consumer signing up forthe loyalty program. The consumer record may also contain a listing ofrewards previously acquired by the consumer and the system may searchthe consumer record for such rewards that may be redeemed with thecurrent purchase.

As shown in FIG. 23B, at step 2311, if any loyalty rewards are to beapplied to the current transaction, an adjusted amount due may begenerated. If the current transaction does not involve a member of theloyalty program, the adjusted amount due may simply be the full amount.Similarly, if the current transaction involves a member of the loyaltyprogram, but the member is not eligible for loyalty rewards on thetransaction, the adjusted amount due may simply be the full amount due.

At step 2312, the adjusted amount due and payment device information maybe transmitted to payment processor 2120 (FIG. 21) over thecommunications link 2122. The payment device information may be swipeinformation or any other information accepted by payment processors asidentifying the specific payment device. As is known in the art, paymentprocessors charge less to process a transaction where swipe informationmay be provided. In some embodiments, the information may be transmittedin a standard format specified by the payment processor and known tothose skilled in art.

At step 2313, a confirmation message may be received from payment theprocessor 2120. This confirmation message may be received over thecommunications link 2122. The confirmation message may contain routinginformation specifically identifying the transaction confirmed and thetotal amount charged.

Further, at step 2314, a confirmation message may be sent and receivedat the POS terminal 2102. The confirmation message may include routinginformation specifically identifying the transaction confirmed and thetotal amount. The confirmation message may further include informationabout any loyalty rewards applied. Alternatively, since the POS terminal2102 may know the original amount due as transmitted, if theconfirmation message includes the actual amount charged (the adjustedamount due), the POS terminal 2102 may calculate the discount applied.

At step 2315, the receipt 2208 may be printed for the consumer. In someembodiments, the receipt 2208 may be printed at the POS terminal 2102using the printer 2204. In addition to normal information that may beincluded on a sale receipt as those skilled in the art would understand,the receipt may contain a promotional message about the loyalty program.For example, the receipt may include text telling the consumer how manypurchases he or she is away from earning another loyalty reward. Inanother example, the receipt may include text informing the consumer offuture promotions. In embodiments, the receipt may also identify theamount of any discount applied. If the receipt is for a transactioninvolving a consumer who may not be a member of the loyalty program, thereceipt may include a message encouraging the consumer to join theloyalty program. For example, the receipt may include text explainingdiscounts that would have been applied if the consumer was a member ofthe program. This promotional message may also include instructions onhow to join the loyalty program, including providing a phone number orweb address for the consumer to call to join the program.

At step 2317, a promotional message is transmitted to the member'smobile device. If the search of payment device identificationinformation at step 2304 successfully located a consumer record, theprocessing platform 2104 may transmit a promotional message to theconsumer's mobile device 2124 using the mobile device identificationinformation stored in the consumer's consumer record over thecommunications link 2128. The time of performance of step 2317 may notbe linked to the time of performance of any other steps, except that itmust be performed after the step 2304 because it may rely on informationlocated in step 2304.

The processing platform 2104 may send an SMS message to the consumer'smobile phone number using techniques and hardware known to those skilledin the art. The promotional message may or may not include theinformation traditionally found on a receipt such as the amount due andthe cost of items, and may include information about the promotionreceived and the consumer's current status in the loyalty program. Thepromotional message may also inform the consumer about additionalloyalty program options.

At step 2320 (FIG. 23A), a message may be transmitted indicating thatthe payment device information was not located in the consumer database.This message may be sent from the processing platform 2104 over thecommunications link 2108 to the POS terminal 2102. The message may be inany format understood by the POS terminal 2102 and may refer thespecific transaction and contain an indicator that the payment deviceidentification information was not located in the consumer database.

As shown in FIG. 23B, at step 2321, a message may be displayed askingthe consumer if he or she would like to join the loyalty program. In anembodiment, this message may be displayed on the display 2202 of the POSterminal 2102 (FIG. 22). The display may be visible to the merchant andnot the consumer and the merchant may orally ask the consumer if he orshe would like to join the loyalty program after the merchant sees theoffer to join displayed on the display 2202. In another embodiment, theconsumer may view the offer directly.

At step 2322, the consumer's response to the prompt to join may becaptured. In an embodiment, the consumer may indicate his or her choiceby selecting a choice using a data entry device at the POS terminal 2102(FIG. 22) by depressing a key on a keypad or touching a portion of atouch screen display displaying his options. In another embodiment, theconsumer may orally announce his choice and the merchant may enter thechoice using data entry device 2210 at the POS terminal 2102.

Step 2323 may determine if the consumer chooses to join the program. Ifthe consumer chooses to join the program, processing may continue withstep 2340, and if the consumer chooses not to join the program,processing may continue with step 2330. As discussed above, inembodiments the merchant may elect not to prompt consumers to join, inwhich case steps 2320 and 2321 may not occur. In another embodiment, amessage may still be transmitted at step 2320, but the POS terminal mayautomatically continue processing with step 2330, bypassing steps 2321,2322, and 2323.

At step 2330, a decline message may be transmitted indicating thatenrollment information may not be transmitted and processing of thetransaction may continue. In embodiments, this message may be sent fromthe POS terminal 2102 over the communications link 2108 to theprocessing platform 2104 (FIG. 21). The message may be in any formatunderstood by the processing platform 2104. The message may simplyreference the specific transaction and may include an indicator thatenrollment information may not follow and processing of the transactionshould continue. Processing may then continue with the step 2312.

At step 2340, the consumer may be prompted to provide sign-upinformation. The sign-up information requested may be any informationrequired for a complete consumer record. Such information may includebasic identification information such as a name and address as well ascontact information such as an e-mail address or mobile deviceidentification information, such as a phone number for a mobile phone.Information previously obtained at step 2301 from the payment device maybe displayed for the consumer to confirm the accuracy of thatinformation. The consumer may also be asked if he or she would like toassociate other payment devices with the account in which case thesystem may capture information from those payment devices as describedin step 2301. The consumer may be prompted by messages displayed on thedisplay 2202 of the POS terminal 2102 (FIG. 22). The display may bevisible to the merchant and not the consumer and the merchant may orallyask the consumer for the information requested or the consumer may viewthe prompts directly.

At step 2341, the consumer's sign up information may be captured. In anembodiment, the consumer may enter sign-up information using a dataentry device 2210 at the POS terminal 2102 (FIG. 22) by depressing keyson a keypad or touching a portion of a touch screen display displayingoptions. In another embodiment, the consumer may verbally relayinformation to the merchant and the merchant may enter the informationusing the data entry device 2210 at the POS terminal 2102. The enteredinformation may be displayed for the user that may allow the user toconfirm the information is correct before processing may continue. Itmay be desirable for consumers to be able to sign up for the merchant'sloyalty program without first initiating a transaction and thus themerchant or consumer may be able to initiate the sign up process byselecting an option from a main menu. In such a case, the sign-upprocess may begin with step 2341.

As shown in FIG. 23C, at step 2342, sign-up information may betransmitted. The information may be transmitted in a message sent fromthe POS terminal 2102 over the communications link 2108 to theprocessing platform 2104. The message may be in any format understood bythe processing platform 2104. The message may reference the specifictransaction and may include the sign-up information provided by theconsumer. Further, the message may or may not contain informationcaptured from the consumer's payment card and previously transmitted atstep 2303.

At step 2343, a consumer record may be created in the merchant's loyaltyprogram's consumer records database 2110. The consumer record may becreated at the processing platform 2104. The coupon server 2114 oranother processing entity within the processing platform 2104 may bequeried to identify any loyalty rewards applicable to enrolling membersof the merchant's loyalty program. Any located loyalty rewards may thenbe placed in the consumer record to be applied to the currenttransaction. In addition to use in the processes described herein, theconsumer record may be used in other facets of a loyalty program. Suchother facets may include transmitting of messages containing digitalcoupons to a consumer's mobile device based on a consumer's profile andnot associated with any particular transaction. After creating aconsumer record at step 2344, processing of the transaction mayimmediately continue with step 2311, while steps 2344 and 2345 may occursimultaneously, prior to, or subsequent to the transaction processingbeginning with step 2311.

At step 2344, a welcome message may be transmitted to the consumer'smobile device. The message may be sent using the mobile deviceidentification information provided by the consumer at step 2341 andstored in the consumer record at step 2343. Further, the welcome messagemay be sent as an SMS message to the consumer's mobile phone using theconsumer's mobile phone number stored in the consumer's consumer recordas mobile device identification information. The welcome message mayinclude information about the loyalty program, as well as promotionalmessages. Possible promotional messages are described above in thediscussion of step 2317.

In embodiments, the welcome message may also contain instructions foropting out of receiving future messages on the mobile device. In someembodiments, the welcome message may also contain a request that theconsumer acknowledge the message in some fashion. Such an acknowledgmentmay be used to confirm that the consumer provided valid and accuratemobile device identification information. In some embodiments, aconsumer may not be deemed a valid member of the loyalty program untilthe consumer acknowledges the welcome message. The consumer mayacknowledge the welcome message in some embodiments simply by replyingto the welcome message using the same communications protocol used tosend the message. Other methods of acknowledging may include calling anactivation number or visiting a specific website and signing in.

At step 2345, a welcome receipt may be printed for the consumer. In someembodiments, the receipt may be printed on the printer 2204 at the POSterminal 2102 (FIG. 22). The receipt may be printed immediately afterthe consumer may enter his contact information or the receipt may not beprinted until the POS terminal 2102 may receive a confirmation messagefrom the processing platform 2104 that the consumer information wassuccessfully entered into the consumer database at step 2343. Thewelcome receipt may contain program rules including privacy information,instructions for opting out of receiving future messages at the mobiledevice, instructions for quitting the program, as well as promotionalmessages.

FIGS. 24A, 24B, and 24C show flow charts showing use of the system inanother embodiment. In embodiments, the steps may be performed using theexemplary system of FIG. 21 and the POS terminal 2102 shown in FIG. 22.The steps shown in FIGS. 24A, 24B, and 24C are shown in a particularorder, but as one skilled in the art would understand, the steps may beperformed in other orders and additional (or fewer) steps may beutilized to achieve the desired result. Many of the processes shown inFIGS. 24A, 24B, and 24C may operate in the same or similar to theprocesses of FIGS. 23A, 23B, and 23C. While the processes of FIGS. 23A,23B, and 23C may rely on the consumer using a payment device uniquelyassociated with the consumer, the processes of FIGS. 24A, 24B, and 24Cmay identify the consumer based on the consumer's mobile deviceidentification information and may thus allow the consumer to pay in anymanner, including manners not uniquely identifying the users, such aspaying cash.

As shown in FIG. 24A, at step 2401, mobile device identificationinformation may be captured. In one embodiment, the consumer may placehis or her mobile device in proximity of a payment device reader 2212(FIG. 22), which may be part of a POS terminal 2102. In one embodiment,the payment device reader 2212 may obtain mobile device informationusing NFC or RFID technology and/or the like. In some situations, theconsumer may simply place the payment device in proximity to the paymentdevice reader 2212 to allow the payment device reader to capture thepayment device identification information. In another embodiment, theconsumer may key mobile device identification information into the POSterminal 2102. The consumer may enter the mobile device identificationinformation into a device such as keypad 2210 (FIG. 22) or the display2202 (FIG. 22) may function as a touch-screen display allowing theconsumer to key in mobile device identification information.

Similarly, the consumer may verbally communicate mobile deviceidentification information to the merchant who may then enter theinformation into the POS terminal 2102, in some embodiments using adevice such as keypad 2210 or display 2202. In some embodiments, themobile device identification information may be the phone numberassigned to a consumer's cellular phone. In other embodiments, themobile device identification may be another value that identifies theusers and/or specific mobile device such as an MSID, ESN, and/or thelike.

In embodiments, both mobile device identification information andpayment device identification information may be captured at step 2401.The payment device identification information may be transmitting atstep 2403 or may simply be saved at the POS terminal 2102 (FIG. 22) forprocessing of payment at step 2413. The mobile device identificationinformation may be captured through the process described in step 2302(FIG. 23A). Additionally, the mobile device may store payment deviceidentification information such that both mobile device identificationinformation and payment device identification information may bereceived by the POS terminal 2102 through such methods as RFID, NFC,and/or the like.

At step 2402, an amount due for the transaction may be captured. Step2402 may occur before, after, or simultaneous with step 2401. In oneembodiment, the merchant may enter an amount due using a data entrydevice 2210. In another embodiment, an amount due may be generated byseparate electronic equipment and transmitted electronically to the POSterminal 2102. Further, a cash register may be employed to enter itemsordered and may generate an amount due. The cash register may thentransmit that information electronically to the POS terminal 2102. Inanother embodiment, the POS terminal 2102 may contain such cash registerfunctionality and may generate an amount due after the merchant orconsumer has entered the items ordered.

Further, at step 2403, the information gathered in steps 2401 and 2402may be transmitted to the location of the consumer database. In anembodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the consumer database 2110 may belocated within a processing platform 2104. The information transmittedmay include an amount due and mobile device identification information.Additional information such as payment device identificationinformation, information on the specific items purchased by theconsumer, date and time information, the name of the merchant, etc. mayalso be transmitted, if desired. Merchant information may be importantif the consumer database is co-located on the same processing platformas consumer databases for loyalty programs for other merchants. In someembodiments, the merchant or consumer may push a button or enterinformation into data entry device 2210 that may cause the system totransmit the gathered information.

At step 2404, the consumer database may be searched to locate thetransmitted mobile device identification information. The processingplatform 2104 may receive the transmitted information and may identifythe specific consumer database to be searched. This may be done byidentifying the merchant through the transmitted information. Theinformation may then be fed to an engine, such as consumer profileengine 2118, to conduct a search of the selected consumer database inaccordance with step 2404.

Step 2404 may determine if the consumer's mobile device information islocated in a consumer record. If so, the system may continue processingwith step 2410. If the payment device information is not located, thesystem may continue with step 2420, in which a message may betransmitted to the POS terminal indicating that the paymentidentification information may not located and may allow the POSterminal to prompt the consumer to join the merchant's loyalty program.In embodiments, the merchant may not wish to prompt its consumers tosign up for the loyalty program if they are not already a member, andtherefore may not wish to slow down the payment process by performingstep 2420 et seq. In this case, the system may continue processing withstep 2413 when the consumer's mobile identification information is notlocated.

At step 2410, the located consumer record may be updated to record thecurrent transaction and searched for applicable loyalty rewards. Thecoupon server 2114 (FIG. 21) may receive information about the currenttransaction as well as information about previous transactions containedin the consumer record and may determine if the consumer is eligible forany loyalty rewards. If the consumer is eligible for a reward, thesystem may enter that reward in the consumer record. Such reward may bebased on previous consumer activity, current purchase items, consumerprofile information, or any other criteria. A reward may also be enteredinto the consumer's account as a result of the consumer signing up forthe loyalty program. The consumer record may also contain a listing ofrewards previously acquired by the consumer and the system may searchthe consumer record for such rewards that may be redeemed with thecurrent purchase.

As shown in FIG. 24B, at step 2411, if any loyalty rewards are to beapplied to the current transaction, an adjusted amount due may begenerated. If the current transaction does not involve a member of theloyalty program, the adjusted amount due may simply be the full amount.Similarly, if the current transaction involves a member of the loyaltyprogram, but the member is not eligible for loyalty rewards on thetransaction, the adjusted amount due may simply be the full amount due.

At step 2412, the adjusted amount due may be sent from processingplatform 2104 and may be received at POS terminal 2102. In someembodiments, the adjusted amount due may be sent in a message overcommunications link 2108.

At step 2413, payment may be accepted at the POS terminal 2102 from theconsumer for the adjusted amount due. The payment may be in any formsuch as cash, check, gift certificate, credit card, debit card, and/orthe like. As described above, payment information may have been receivedin the form of payment device identification information during step2401. Where payment device identification information is received,either in step 2413 or step 2401, the payment device identificationinformation may be transmitted to a third party payment processor suchas payment processor 2120 (FIG. 21) or may be transmitted to theprocessing platform 2104 (FIG. 21). If the payment device identificationinformation is transmitted to processing platform 2104, steps 2312-2314(FIG. 23B) may then be performed.

At step 2414, the receipt 2208 may be printed for the consumer. In someembodiments, the receipt 2208 may be printed at POS terminal 2102 usingprinter 2204. In addition to normal information that would be containedon a sale receipt as those skilled in the art would understand, thereceipt may contain a promotional message about the loyalty program. Forexample, the receipt may contain text telling the consumer how manypurchases he or she is away from earning another loyalty reward. Inanother example, the receipt may contain text informing the consumer offuture promotions. In embodiments, the receipt may also identify theamount of any discount applied. If the receipt is for a transactioninvolving a consumer who is not a member of the loyalty program, thereceipt may contain a message encouraging the consumer to join theloyalty program. For example, the receipt may contain text explainingdiscounts that would have been applied if the consumer was a member ofthe program. This promotional message may also contain instructions onhow to join the loyalty program that may include providing a phonenumber or web address for the consumer to call to join the program.

At step 2415, a promotional message may be transmitted to the member'smobile device. If the search of mobile device identification informationat step 2404 successfully located a consumer record, the processingplatform 2104 may transmit a promotional message to the consumer'smobile device 2124 using the mobile device identification informationstored in the consumer's consumer record over communications link 2128.It should be understood that a consumer record may contain more than onetype of mobile device identification information. For example, aconsumer record may contain a serial number transmitted by the mobiledevice to identify the phone as well as another mobile deviceidentification information that may be used to address a communicationto the mobile device such as a phone number. The time of performance ofstep 2415 may not be linked to the time of performance of any othersteps, except that it must be performed after step 2404 because it mayrely on information located in step 2404. In some embodiments, theprocessing platform 2104 may send an SMS message to the consumer'smobile phone number using techniques and hardware known to those skilledin the art. The promotional message may or may not contain theinformation traditionally found on a receipt such as the amount due andthe cost of items, and may contain information about the promotionreceived and the consumer's current status in the loyalty program. Thepromotional message may also inform the consumer about additionalloyalty program options.

At step 2420 (FIG. 24A), a message may be transmitted that may indicatethat the mobile device information was not located in the consumerdatabase. This message may be sent from the processing platform 2104over communications link 2108 to the POS terminal 2102. The message maybe in any format understood by the POS terminal and may simply referencethe specific transaction and contain an indicator that the mobile deviceidentification information was not located in the consumer database.

As shown in FIG. 24B, at step 2421, a message may be displayed askingthe consumer if he or she would like to join the loyalty program. In anembodiment, this message may be displayed on display 2202 of the POSterminal 2102 (FIG. 22). The display may be visible to the merchant andnot the consumer and the merchant may orally ask the consumer if he orshe would like to join the loyalty program after the merchant sees theoffer to join displayed on the display 2202. In another embodiment, theconsumer may view the offer directly.

At step 2422, the consumer's response to the prompt to join may becaptured. In an embodiment, the consumer may indicate his or her choiceby selecting a choice using a data entry device at the POS terminal 2102(FIG. 22) by depressing a key on a keypad or touching a portion of atouch screen display displaying his options. In another embodiment, theconsumer may orally announce his choice and the merchant may enter thechoice using data entry device 2210 at the POS terminal 2102.

Step 2423 may determine if the consumer chooses to join the program. Ifthe consumer chooses to join the program, processing may continue withstep 2440, and if the consumer chooses not to join the program,processing may continue with step 2430. As discussed above, in someembodiments, the merchant may elect not to prompt consumers to join, inwhich case steps 2420 and 2421 may not occur. In another embodiment, amessage may still be transmitted at step 2420, but the POS terminal mayautomatically continue processing with step 2430, bypassing steps 2421,2422, and 2423.

At step 2430, a decline message may be transmitted that may indicatethat enrollment information may not be transmitted and processing of thetransaction may continue. In some embodiments, this message may be sentfrom the POS terminal 2102 over the communications link 2108 toprocessing platform 2104 (FIG. 21). The message may be in any formatunderstood by the processing platform 2104. The message may simplyreference the specific transaction and contain an indicator thatenrollment information may not follow and processing of the transactionshould continue. Processing may then continue at step 2413.

At step 2440, the consumer may be prompted to provide sign-upinformation. The sign-up information requested may be any informationrequired for a complete consumer record. Such information may includebasic identification information such as a name and address as well ascontact information such as an e-mail address or mobile deviceidentification information, such as a phone number for a mobile phone.Information previously obtained at step 2401 may be displayed for theconsumer to confirm the accuracy of that information. The consumer mayalso be asked if he or she would like to associate any payment deviceswith the account in which case the system may capture information fromthose payment devices as described in step 2301. The consumer may beprompted by messages displayed on the display 2202 of the POS terminal2102 (FIG. 22). The display may be visible to the merchant and not theconsumer and the merchant may orally ask the consumer for theinformation requested or the consumer may view the prompts directly.

At step 2441, the consumer's sign up information may be captured. In oneembodiment, the consumer may enter the sign-up information using a dataentry device 2210 at the POS terminal 2102 (FIG. 22) by depressing keyson a keypad or touching a portion of a touch screen display displayingoptions. In another embodiment, the consumer may verbally relayinformation to the merchant and the merchant may enter the informationusing data entry device 2210 at the POS terminal 2102. The enteredinformation may be displayed for the user allowing the user to confirmthe information is correct before processing continues. It may bedesirable for consumers to be able to sign up for the merchant's loyaltyprogram without first initiating a transaction and thus the merchant orconsumer may be able to initiate the sign up process by selecting anoption from a main menu. In such a case, the sign-up process may beginat step 2441.

As shown in FIG. 24C, at step 2442, sign-up information may betransmitted. The information may be transmitted in a message sent fromthe POS terminal 2102 over the communications link 2108 to theprocessing platform 2104. The message may be in any format understood byprocessing platform 2104. The message may reference the specifictransaction and may contain the sign-up information provided by theconsumer. The message may or may not contain information captured fromthe consumer's payment card and previously transmitted in step 2303.

At step 2443, a consumer record may be created in the merchant's loyaltyprogram's consumer records database 2110. The consumer record may becreated at a processing platform 2104. The coupon server 2114 or anotherprocessing entity within processing platform 2104 may be queried toidentify any loyalty rewards applicable to enrolling members of themerchant's loyalty program. Any located loyalty rewards may then beplaced in the consumer record to be applied to the current transaction.In addition to use in the processes described herein, the consumerrecord may be used in other facets of a loyalty program. Such otherfacets may include the transmitting of messages containing digitalcoupons to a consumer's mobile device based on a consumer's profile andmay not be associated with any particular transaction. After creating aconsumer record in step 2444, processing of the transaction mayimmediately continue with step 2411, while steps 2444 and 2445 may occursimultaneously, prior to, or subsequent to the transaction processingbeginning with step 2411.

At step 2444, a welcome message may be transmitted to the consumer'smobile device. The message may be sent using the mobile deviceidentification information provided by the consumer at step 2441 and maybe stored in the consumer record at step 2443. The welcome message maybe sent as an SMS message to the consumer's mobile phone using theconsumer's mobile phone number stored in the consumer's consumer recordas mobile device identification information. The welcome message mayinclude information about the loyalty program, as well as promotionalmessages. Possible promotional messages are described above in thediscussion of step 2415. In some embodiments, the welcome message mayalso contain instructions for opting out of receiving future messages onthe mobile device. In some embodiments, the welcome message may alsocontain a request that the consumer may acknowledge the message in somefashion. Such an acknowledgment may be used to confirm that the consumerprovided valid and accurate mobile device identification information. Insome embodiments, a consumer may not be deemed a valid member of theloyalty program until the consumer acknowledges the welcome message. Theconsumer may acknowledge the welcome message in some embodiments simplyby replying to the welcome message using the same communicationsprotocol used to send the message. Other methods of acknowledging mayinclude calling an activation number or visiting a specific website andsigning in.

At step 2445, a welcome receipt may be printed for the consumer. In someembodiments, the receipt may be printed on the printer 2204 at the POSterminal 2102 (FIG. 22). The receipt may be printed immediately afterthe consumer may enter his contact information or the receipt may not beprinted until the POS terminal 2102 may receive a confirmation messagefrom the processing platform 2104 that the consumer information wassuccessfully entered into the consumer database at step 2443. Thewelcome receipt may contain program rules including privacy information,instructions for opting out of receiving future messages at the mobiledevice, instructions for quitting the program, as well as promotionalmessages.

The methods and systems of the present invention have been described inpart as using payment methods described in the above-identified patentapplication. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited tothese methods, but rather may be used with any appropriate electronicpayment system.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the invention asdefined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the presentapplication is not intended to be limited to the particular embodimentsof the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means,methods and steps described in the specification. As one will readilyappreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing orlater to be developed that perform substantially the same function orachieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodimentsdescribed herein may be utilized. Accordingly, the appended claims areintended to include within their scope such processes, machines,manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.

The methods and systems described herein may be deployed in part or inwhole through a machine that executes computer software, program codes,and/or instructions on a processor. The processor may be part of aserver, client, network infrastructure, mobile computing platform,stationary computing platform, or other computing platform. A processormay be any kind of computational or processing device capable ofexecuting program instructions, codes, binary instructions and the like.The processor may be or include a signal processor, digital processor,embedded processor, microprocessor or any variant such as a co-processor(math co-processor, graphic co-processor, communication co-processor andthe like) and the like that may directly or indirectly facilitateexecution of program code or program instructions stored thereon. Inaddition, the processor may enable execution of multiple programs,threads, and codes. The threads may be executed simultaneously toenhance the performance of the processor and to facilitate simultaneousoperations of the application. By way of implementation, methods,program codes, program instructions and the like described herein may beimplemented in one or more thread. The thread may spawn other threadsthat may have assigned priorities associated with them; the processormay execute these threads based on priority or any other order based oninstructions provided in the program code. The processor may includememory that stores methods, codes, instructions and programs asdescribed herein and elsewhere. The processor may access a storagemedium through an interface that may store methods, codes, andinstructions as described herein and elsewhere. The storage mediumassociated with the processor for storing methods, programs, codes,program instructions or other type of instructions capable of beingexecuted by the computing or processing device may include but may notbe limited to one or more of a CD-ROM, DVD, memory, hard disk, flashdrive, RAM, ROM, cache and the like.

A processor may include one or more cores that may enhance speed andperformance of a multiprocessor. In embodiments, the process may be adual core processor, quad core processors, other chip-levelmultiprocessor and the like that combine two or more independent cores(called a die).

The methods and systems described herein may be deployed in part or inwhole through a machine that executes computer software on a server,client, firewall, gateway, hub, router, cloud server, or other suchcomputer and/or networking hardware. The software program may beassociated with a server that may include a file server, print server,domain server, internet server, intranet server and other variants suchas secondary server, host server, distributed server and the like. Theserver may include one or more of memories, processors, computerreadable media, storage media, ports (physical and virtual),communication devices, and interfaces capable of accessing otherservers, clients, machines, and devices through a wired or a wirelessmedium, and the like. The methods, programs or codes as described hereinand elsewhere may be executed by the server. In addition, other devicesrequired for execution of methods as described in this application maybe considered as a part of the infrastructure associated with theserver.

The server may provide an interface to other devices including, withoutlimitation, clients, other servers, printers, database servers, printservers, file servers, communication servers, distributed servers,social networks, and the like. Additionally, this coupling and/orconnection may facilitate remote execution of program across thenetwork. The networking of some or all of these devices may facilitateparallel processing of a program or method at one or more locationwithout deviating from the scope of the invention. In addition, any ofthe devices attached to the server through an interface may include atleast one storage medium capable of storing methods, programs, codeand/or instructions. A central repository may provide programinstructions to be executed on different devices. In thisimplementation, the remote repository may act as a storage medium forprogram code, instructions, and programs.

The software program may be associated with a client that may include afile client, print client, domain client, internet client, intranetclient and other variants such as secondary client, host client,distributed client and the like. The client may include one or more ofmemories, processors, computer readable media, storage media, ports(physical and virtual), communication devices, and interfaces capable ofaccessing other clients, servers, machines, and devices through a wiredor a wireless medium, and the like. The methods, programs or codes asdescribed herein and elsewhere may be executed by the client. Inaddition, other devices required for execution of methods as describedin this application may be considered as a part of the infrastructureassociated with the client.

The client may provide an interface to other devices including, withoutlimitation, servers, other clients, printers, database servers, printservers, file servers, communication servers, distributed servers andthe like. Additionally, this coupling and/or connection may facilitateremote execution of program across the network. The networking of someor all of these devices may facilitate parallel processing of a programor method at one or more location without deviating from the scope ofthe invention. In addition, any of the devices attached to the clientthrough an interface may include at least one storage medium capable ofstoring methods, programs, applications, code and/or instructions. Acentral repository may provide program instructions to be executed ondifferent devices. In this implementation, the remote repository may actas a storage medium for program code, instructions, and programs.

The methods and systems described herein may be deployed in part or inwhole through network infrastructures. The network infrastructure mayinclude elements such as computing devices, servers, routers, hubs,firewalls, clients, personal computers, communication devices, routingdevices and other active and passive devices, modules and/or componentsas known in the art. The computing and/or non-computing device(s)associated with the network infrastructure may include, apart from othercomponents, a storage medium such as flash memory, buffer, stack, RAM,ROM and the like. The processes, methods, program codes, instructionsdescribed herein and elsewhere may be executed by one or more of thenetwork infrastructural elements.

The methods, program codes, and instructions described herein andelsewhere may be implemented on a cellular network having multiplecells. The cellular network may either be frequency division multipleaccess (FDMA) network or code division multiple access (CDMA) network.The cellular network may include mobile devices, cell sites, basestations, repeaters, antennas, towers, and the like. The cell networkmay be a GSM, GPRS, 3G, EVDO, mesh, or other networks types.

The methods, programs codes, and instructions described herein andelsewhere may be implemented on or through mobile devices. The mobiledevices may include navigation devices, cell phones, mobile phones,mobile personal digital assistants, laptops, palmtops, netbooks, pagers,electronic books readers, music players and the like. These devices mayinclude, apart from other components, a storage medium such as a flashmemory, buffer, RAM, ROM and one or more computing devices. Thecomputing devices associated with mobile devices may be enabled toexecute program codes, methods, and instructions stored thereon.Alternatively, the mobile devices may be configured to executeinstructions in collaboration with other devices. The mobile devices maycommunicate with base stations interfaced with servers and configured toexecute program codes. The mobile devices may communicate on a peer topeer network, mesh network, or other communications network. The programcode may be stored on the storage medium associated with the server andexecuted by a computing device embedded within the server. The basestation may include a computing device and a storage medium. The storagedevice may store program codes and instructions executed by thecomputing devices associated with the base station.

The computer software, program codes, and/or instructions may be storedand/or accessed on machine readable media that may include: computercomponents, devices, and recording media that retain digital data usedfor computing for some interval of time; semiconductor storage known asrandom access memory (RAM); mass storage typically for more permanentstorage, such as optical discs, forms of magnetic storage like harddisks, tapes, drums, cards and other types; processor registers, cachememory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory; optical storage such asCD, DVD; removable media such as flash memory (e.g. USB sticks or keys),floppy disks, magnetic tape, paper tape, punch cards, standalone RAMdisks, Zip drives, removable mass storage, off-line, and the like; othercomputer memory such as dynamic memory, static memory, read/writestorage, mutable storage, read only, random access, sequential access,location addressable, file addressable, content addressable, networkattached storage, storage area network, bar codes, magnetic ink, and thelike.

The methods and systems described herein may transform physical and/oror intangible items from one state to another. The methods and systemsdescribed herein may also transform data representing physical and/orintangible items from one state to another.

The elements described and depicted herein, including in flow charts andblock diagrams throughout the figures, imply logical boundaries betweenthe elements. However, according to software or hardware engineeringpractices, the depicted elements and the functions thereof may beimplemented on machines through computer executable media having aprocessor capable of executing program instructions stored thereon as amonolithic software structure, as standalone software modules, or asmodules that employ external routines, code, services, and so forth, orany combination of these, and all such implementations may be within thescope of the present disclosure. Examples of such machines may include,but may not be limited to, personal digital assistants, laptops,personal computers, mobile phones, other handheld computing devices,medical equipment, wired or wireless communication devices, transducers,chips, calculators, satellites, tablet PCs, electronic books, gadgets,electronic devices, devices having artificial intelligence, computingdevices, networking equipments, servers, routers and the like.Furthermore, the elements depicted in the flow chart and block diagramsor any other logical component may be implemented on a machine capableof executing program instructions. Thus, while the foregoing drawingsand descriptions set forth functional aspects of the disclosed systems,no particular arrangement of software for implementing these functionalaspects should be inferred from these descriptions unless explicitlystated or otherwise clear from the context. Similarly, it will beappreciated that the various steps identified and described above may bevaried, and that the order of steps may be adapted to particularapplications of the techniques disclosed herein. All such variations andmodifications are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure.As such, the depiction and/or description of an order for various stepsshould not be understood to require a particular order of execution forthose steps, unless required by a particular application, or explicitlystated or otherwise clear from the context.

The methods and/or processes described above, and steps thereof, may berealized in hardware, software or any combination of hardware andsoftware suitable for a particular application. The hardware may includea general purpose computer and/or dedicated computing device or specificcomputing device or particular aspect or component of a specificcomputing device. The processes may be realized in one or moremicroprocessors, microcontrollers, embedded microcontrollers,programmable digital signal processors or other programmable device,along with internal and/or external memory. The processes may also, orinstead, be embodied in an application specific integrated circuit, aprogrammable gate array, programmable array logic, or any other deviceor combination of devices that may be configured to process electronicsignals. It will further be appreciated that one or more of theprocesses may be realized as a computer executable code capable of beingexecuted on a machine readable medium.

The computer executable code may be created using a structuredprogramming language such as C, an object oriented programming languagesuch as C++, or any other high-level or low-level programming language(including assembly languages, hardware description languages, anddatabase programming languages and technologies) that may be stored,compiled or interpreted to run on one of the above devices, as well asheterogeneous combinations of processors, processor architectures, orcombinations of different hardware and software, or any other machinecapable of executing program instructions.

Thus, in one aspect, each method described above and combinationsthereof may be embodied in computer executable code that, when executingon one or more computing devices, performs the steps thereof. In anotheraspect, the methods may be embodied in systems that perform the stepsthereof, and may be distributed across devices in a number of ways, orall of the functionality may be integrated into a dedicated, standalonedevice or other hardware. In another aspect, the means for performingthe steps associated with the processes described above may include anyof the hardware and/or software described above. All such permutationsand combinations are intended to fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

While the invention has been disclosed in connection with the preferredembodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications andimprovements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled inthe art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present invention isnot to be limited by the foregoing examples, but is to be understood inthe broadest sense allowable by law.

All documents referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference.

1. A method comprising: presenting a shareable offer on a first mobiledevice of a first consumer in an application associated with a mediatargeting system, wherein the shareable offer is targeted to the firstconsumer by the media targeting system; allowing the first consumer totransfer the shareable offer to a second mobile device of a secondconsumer, wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile deviceare bumped to transfer the shareable offer; allowing the second consumerto store the shareable offer received after bumping and associate aloyalty card with the stored offer; and redeeming the shareable offerwhen the second consumer uses the loyalty card at a retailer touchpoint.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the shareable offer is transferredoutside a retail store.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the shareableoffer is transferred inside a retail store.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the first consumer is targeted based on a loyalty card of thefirst consumer.
 5. The method of claim 1, the first consumer is targetedbased on a behavioral trait of the first consumer.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising allowing the second consumer to store theoffer in a digital offer wallet.
 7. A method, comprising: channelingpromotional media available to a plurality of promotion channels througha single processing path; applying a rule in targeting a first consumerthrough one or more channels of the plurality of promotion channels inorder to avoid a conflict in the delivery of the promotional media,wherein the rule is aimed at preventing from being shown to the firstconsumer, across the plurality of channels, offers that conflict witheach other; targeting a first mobile device of the first consumer with ashareable offer; and allowing the first consumer to transfer theshareable offer to a second mobile device of a second consumer, whereinthe first mobile device and the second mobile device are bumped totransfer the shareable offer.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein theconflict involves at least one of multiple instances of an offer,multiple offers for the same product, offers from competing brands,multiple offers for products from a particular category and offers froma retailer if the same product is being promoted through channelscontrolled by a vendor.
 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:allowing the second consumer to store the shareable offer received afterbumping and associate a loyalty card with the shareable offer; andredeeming the shareable offer when the second consumer uses the loyaltycard at a retailer touchpoint.